African History through Sources: Volume 1, Colonial Contexts and Everyday Experiences, c.1850-1946

Description

African History through Sources recounts the history of colonial Africa through more than 100 primary sources produced by a variety of actors: ordinary men and women, the educated elite, and colonial officials. Including official documents, as well as interviews, memoirs, lyrics, and photographs, the book balances coverage of the state and economy with attention to daily life, family life, and cultural change. Entries are drawn from all around sub-Saharan Africa, and many have been translated into English for the first time. Introductions to each source and chapter provide context and identify themes. African History through Sources allows readers to analyze change, understand perspectives, and imagine everyday life during an extraordinary time.

Nancy J. Jacobs is Associate Professor in the department of history at Brown University. She has received two teaching awards from Brown University, one for digital innovations (2004) and the Harriet W. Sheridan Award for Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Learning (2010). She is the creator of the Animated Atlas of African History, a web visualization of African history from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century. She is the author of Environment, Power, and Injustice: A South African History (Cambridge, 2003).

'Jacobs' clear overview and her selection of compelling sources, including photographs, make this a tremendous resource for students. As one student put it, 'Jacobs challenges students to work as historians'.' Allison K. Shutt, Hendrix College, Arkansas 'This volume opens a new window into a familiar but poorly understood era in African history, and it is destined to become a treasured instructional companion in courses on modern African history. The text is a model of how to make African history come alive and speak to us through the oral, written, and visual artifacts of actors and agents in that history.' Moses Ochonu, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee 'This is the book we have all been waiting for. Nancy Jacobs has combined the 'textbook' and the 'sourcebook' into one rich, readable volume on Africa's colonial past that will serve teachers, students, and the general public for years to come.' Jamie Monson, MacAlester College, Minnesota