History of Africa (4^th Ed., 4th ed. 2019)

This fourth edition of this best-selling core history textbook offers a richly illustrated, single volume, narrative introduction to African history, from a hugely respected authority in the field. The market-leading range of illustrated material from prior editions is now further improved, featuring not only additional and redrawn maps and a refreshed selection of photographs, but the addition of full colour to make these even more instructive, evocative and attractive.

 Already hugely popular on introductory African History courses,the book has been widely praised for its engaging and readable style, and is unrivalled in scope, both geographically and chronologically ? while many competitors limit themselves to certain regions or eras, Shillington chronicles the entire continent, from prehistory right up to the present day. For this new edition, both content and layout have been thoroughly refreshed and restructured to make this wealth of material easily navigable, and even more appealing to students unfamiliar with the subject.

Introduction.- SECTION ONE: EARLY AND LATER PRE-HISTORY.- 1 Early prehistory of Africa.- 2 Later prehistory: farming and pastoralism in tropical Africa and Ancient Egypt.- SECTION TWO: EARLY IRON AGE.- 3 The impact of iron in north and west Africa.- 4 The Early Iron Age in central, eastern and southern Africa.- SECTION THREE: RELIGION AND EMPIRE IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN AFRICA.- 5 North Africa to 1000 CE.- 6 Trans-Saharan trade and the kingdom of ancient Ghana.- 7 Islam and the Sudanic states of west Africa.- SECTION FOUR: RELIGION, TRADE AND CHIEFTAINCY IN EASTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA.- 8 Eastern Africa to the sixteenth century.- 9 Later Iron Age states and societies of central and southern Africa to the sixteenth century.- 10 Trading towns of the east African coast to the sixteenth century.- SECTION FIVE: WEST AFRICA IN THE ERA OF THE SLAVE TRADE.- 11 The Atlantic slave trade, sixteenth to eighteenth century.- 12 West African states and societies, to the eighteenth century.- SECTION SIX: STATE RENEWAL AND FORMATION IN NORTH, EAST, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA.- 13 North and north-east Africa to the eighteenth century.- 14 Central and eastern Africa to the eighteenth century.- 15 Southern Africa to the eighteenth century.- SECTION SEVEN: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BEFORE THE EUROPEAN ‘SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA’.- 16 West Africa in the nineteenth century.- 17 The ending of the Atlantic slave trade.- 18 Christian Missions, new States and pre-colonial ‘nationalism’.- 19 Central and east Africa in the nineteenth century.- 20 Pre-industrial southern Africa in the nineteenth century.- 21 North and north-east Africa in the nineteenth century.- SECTION EIGHT: THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL AND POLITICAL IMPERIALISM, LATE-NINETEENTH CENTURY.- 22 Colonial conquest and African resistance in east, north-central and west Africa.- 23 Industrialisation, colonial conquest and African resistance in south-central and southern Africa.- SECTION NINE: THE IMPACT AND NATURE OF COLONIAL RULE, 1890-1945.- 24 Consolidation of empire: the early period of colonial rule.- 25 Africa between the wars: the high tide of colonial rule.- 26 The Second World War and Africa.- SECTION TEN: THE OVERTHROW OF COLONIALISM.- 27 The winning of independence (1).-  28 The winning of independence (2).- 29 The winning of independence (3).- SECTION ELEVEN: AFRICA SINCE INDEPENDENCE.- 30 African responses to the colonial legacy.- 31 The challenges and dilemmas of development: debt and international aid.- 32 Contemporary Africa.- Further Reading.- Index.

KEVIN SHILLINGTON trained history teachers at the University of Botswana in the 1980s. His years of teaching experience in Africa have included African History at school and university level. He holds an MA and PhD in African History from the University of London, UK, is the author of many books on African history and is a renowned authority in this field.

Clear, accessible language ideal for introductory level students new to the subject
Easy to follow chronological/regional approach which covers the entire continent and all of African history from earliest times in one volume
An unbiased narrative, without agenda
Takes an African viewpoint, not usual US/European perspective on Africa
Richly illustrated with over 100 maps and over 150 photographs

new_to_this_edition

Now in full colour with fresh new design

Part structure and part intros added to help navigation

New and improved online resources include a new testbank, interactive timelines, lecturer slides, debates In African history, essay questions and further readings

Revised and updated in light of recent research