Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide

by Toyin Falola

This reference guide to African history provides substantive entries on 36 watershed events that shaped the history of the continent from the prehistoric past to the dawn of the 21st century. Noted African scholar Toyin Falola clearly and articulately chronicles the growth and change of the continent from the agricultural revolution through colonial rule to African independence and the end of apartheid, examining the powerful moments at which Africa became drawn into the global world. Each entry appears in chronological order and consists of a comprehensive essay on the event, its historical, social, and geographic context, and its long-term significance. Many illustrations and maps provide valuable visual tools for the reader. Each entry concludes with suggestions for further reading. A narrative introduction to the history of the continent and a timeline of events place the events in historical and global context.

Based on the latest scholarship, this reference work analyzes the major events in African history and their ramifications, and draws connections between the past and the present. Key themes recur the development of diverse African cultures, Arab and European incursions and influence, and the efforts of African peoples to gain independence in the 20th century. Among the events recounted are the Iron Age, the rise of the Kush, the spread of Islam, the 19th-century outbreak of Islamic Jihad, the Atlantic slave trade, European conquest and the African response, Pan-Africanism, the women's decade of 1965-1975, and environmental and political challenges of the last years of the 20th century. Well written and objective, this work is an essential reference tool for students and an excellent complement to the study of African history.

Genres: Africa, History

376 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2000

About the author

Toyin Omoyeni Falola is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. He is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. Falola earned his B.A. and Ph.D. (1981) in History at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. Falola is author and editor of more than one hundred books, and he is the general editor of the Cambria African Studies Series (Cambria Press), Falola served as the president of the African Studies Association in 2014 and 2015.

Reviews

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

What all do you know about African history? Sadly, the answer is typically very little. Yet, so much of our own history is influenced by the large continent. Toyin Falola gives the one who wants to know more about Africa a great resource in Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide.

What I look for in a nonfiction book is something that is full of information, easily readable, and has supplementary material to assist me in processing the information. The layout has to be appealing. The words have to keep me engaged. This book does all that.

Falola starts with the beginning of mankind and works through the history until 2000. There are thirty-six chapters that are very in depth without too much information to lose a reader. There are many images such as maps, pictures, and charts that help further explain the text and give the visual learners something to grab onto. There are many sections within each chapter to help break up the text and for easy reference when trying to find material already read.

Each chapter has it's own bibliography and 'Further to Read' list which makes it easy to research further. The index is well developed as well.

If you are a student needing to research African history, this is a book you should have. It is laid out well for research and gives the student additional material to look for to help expand their research sources.

Even those who just like to read history, add this one to your library. You won't regret it.

Note: This book was borrowed from the school library for a research paper.

[La Vonda Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding text which gives an overview within an Afrocentric paradigm.

[D]

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