We’ve read a range of different approaches to African history–and by implication–approaches to understanding life on the continent today.
a historical monograph: Klieman’s The Pygmies Were Our Compass
- sources: innovative use of language, linguistics, and oral tradition as sources of knowledge about the past;
- argument: Batwa were central to the process of Bantu expansion in the west-central forest regions of Africa, not communities simply displaced by advancing farmers
- political agenda: challenge the “Pygmy Paradigm;” demonstrate active historical agency of hunters and foragers; displace teleological, evolutionary understandings of history
a synthetic historical narrative: Austen’s Trans-Saharan Africa in World History
- sources: mostly historical scholarship (secondary sources)
- argument(s): trade and activity in the Sahara began before the arrival of Islam; Islam helped to facilitate the establishment of regular trans-Saharan networks of exchange; gendered divisions of labor help to explain the demographic differences between the Atlantic and Trans-Saharan slave trades
a scholarly review: Lane’s review of the Miscast exhibition
representations of African pasts for a popular audience (all in National Geographic)
- McIntosh and McInstosh
- Lange
- Salopek
an oral tradition: Niane’s version of The Epic of Sundiata
a fourteenth-century travel narrative: Ibn Battuta’s Rihla
Which approaches taught you the most about a vision of the past in Africa?
Which were the most engaging?
Which were the most challenging for you to understand? Why?
Through Sundiata, I was glad to see that Africa’s culture of oral tradition is well presented, but however, the problem that most westerners face with these stories is that most of those telling these stories lack sufficient evidence to show the authenticity of the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Epic of Sundiata because it brings forth oral traditions of Africa’s history. Although many parts of the story may seem fictional and supernatural, it shows a side of African history, we as students do not come across everyday. I believe oral traditions is an integral part of African history because a lot of historical topics that we learn about Africa are mainly through the Western perspective. It’s quite rare to be presented a side of history through the African perspective.
Yes, but the problem that most Africans face is the fact that they can not really provide evidence for all their oral stories.
The Epic of Sundiata as others have mentioned was by far a page turning novel, while picturing a different and realistic view of culture and the hierarchy of power relations with a very engaging adventure. Just the notion of the story being told by a storyteller, I realized the importance of oral tradition and how important was legacy. Although there were so many names to follow, it gave me a different perspective on the importance of names as representations of transformation. Within the book, the context of a past Africa, seemed relevant, and I could relate to this story as if I were reading a Greek tragedy. It was engaging as well, since there were examples of how animals were represented, as the ox to the old lady. This can cause the reader to doubt some of the information, but based on previous readings, you are able to infer the messages from the story teller.
I also though Austen’s Trans-Saharan Africa in World History, was a very interesting read, since it provided so much information on the connections and economic importance of the trade going on from regions like Northern Africa to the Sudanic region. In comparison to Klieman’s The Pygmies Were Our Compass, Austen provides similar sources of information, but creates the reading less dense and easier to understand and visualize.
The most challenging reading has to be Klieman’s since it was a completely new aspect of history I had not studied. With the first chapter’s focus on the ‘Pygmy Paradigm’ I had some trouble grasping it, but I though the next chapter on the frontier and interactions was very fascinating. It was dense, but I was still able to imagine some of the interactions and the religious traditions.
The narrative Rihla and oral traditions in The Epic of Sundiata helped me create an actual vision of past Africa. The Klieman text also taught me a great deal about cultural exchanges practiced by Batwa and Bantu people, more so than any other text. I also thought the McIntosh and McIntosh article on Djenne-jene was interesting.
I thought Lane’s review of the Miscast exhibit in “Breaking the Mould” was the most engaging in terms of connecting past views of African to present day-misconceptions. Lane touches on the “noble bushman” stereotype perpetuated through “Western” popular culture, which she interestingly says causes the continual social and cultural marginalization of Khoisan people.
Finally, of the articles we’ve read, the most challenging was probably the Austen text; however, this taught me a lot about the history of trans-Saharan trade.
The sources that taught me the most about the past were the Klieman, Austen, McIntosh, and Lane readings. I appreciated how they addressed the different viewpoints taken in studying African history as well as their attempt to be unbiased. The most engaging ones, however, were Klieman and McIntosh. I simply liked they way they were written the best. The most challenging were Niane’s Sundiata and Ibn Battuta, only because they were a little hard to follow.
I found the stories the most interesting, especially Sundiata because it was interesting way of presenting information without being too dry. I felt that those taught me the most, as they gave insight to oral traditions. I found it easier to recall information from the stories than from the other sources.
I have to agree with you nina. I too enjoyed the Epic of Sundiata. It was refreshing to read a book that was not overflowing with paragraphs all proposing an overwhelming amount of information.