Cities have existed in sub-Saharan Africa since antiquity. But only now are historians and archaeologists rediscovering their rich heritage: the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe and Congo, the harbor cities at the Indian Ocean, the capitals of the Bantu Kingdoms, the Atlantic cities from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and the urban revolutions in the 19th century. Mercantile cities opened Africa to the world, Islamic cities became centers of scholarship and the trans-Saharan trade, Creole cities appeared after the first contact with Europeans, and Bantu cities of the hinterland reacted against them. The author has gone through vast numbers of archival records and conducted independent field research to analyze and describe the rich history of African cities even long before imperial colonization began, and she continues her story until the time of urban reorganization during industrialization. The result is a colorful panorama of urban lifestyles including unique examples of architecture and lasting traditions of ethnic, cultural, religious, and commercial forms of co-existence. This edition is translated by Mary Baker.

Reader Reviews

John

(4/5)

May 19, 2015

Quick review: Worth reading. This book made me think hard about what constitutes a "city" and what uses humans have for urban environments, particularly in the pre-modern eras. The prose is very straightforward and a little clunky, but it serves the task of the author well. I think there are some gaps in her arguments, but the way that Coquery-Vidrovitch goes through the evidence for cities and their uses, particularly before the European colonial era, is both informative and thought-provoking.

Yemi Caleb

(5/5)

Oct 09, 2017

Andrew

Oct 17, 2011

Lucille Chazarain

Dec 18, 2020

Chau

(3/5)

Apr 14, 2009

Dgoens

May 21, 2016

Rob

Mar 16, 2008

Lindsay

(0/5)

Jan 18, 2008

Jill

Jan 24, 2011

Nikhil P. Freeman

Jul 30, 2011

Vannessa

Dec 19, 2011

Assefa

Dec 29, 2012

Zinhle Ngubane

Jun 29, 2013

Fröken Humle

Dec 01, 2014

Shana DuBois

Jun 20, 2015

May 28, 2016

Lauren Fryman

Aug 01, 2016

BookDB

Sep 13, 2016

Martin

Sep 29, 2016

Hamza

Apr 09, 2017

Mwanafunzi

Jan 03, 2018

Ben

Jan 04, 2018

Susannah

Feb 04, 2018

Stephanie McGarrah

Apr 27, 2018

Samia

May 14, 2019

Mohamed

Jun 17, 2019

Tiisetso

Mar 04, 2020

Pulane

Mar 22, 2020

Mmakoa Kenneth Khotso

May 03, 2020

Churchill

May 14, 2020

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The History of African Cities South of the Sahara

The History of African Cities South of the Sahara

The History of African Cities South of the Sahara

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Reader Reviews