Encyclopedia of African History

Kevin Shillington, Editor

About the Editor Publication Details/Order Online

Covering the entire continent from Morocco, Libya, and Egypt in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the south, and the surrounding islands from Cape Verde in the west to Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles in the east, the Encyclopedia of African History is a new A-Z reference resource on the history of the entire African continent. With entries ranging from the earliest evolution of human beings in Africa to the beginning of the twenty-first century, this comprehensive three volume Encyclopedia is the first reference of this scale and scope since the publication of the UNESCO General History of Africa (8 volumes) in the 1980s to the early 1990s.

In nearly 1,100 entries, the Encyclopedia not only examines the well-established topics in African history but also looks at the social, economic, linguistic, anthropological, and political subjects that are being re-evaluated or newly opened for historical analysis by recent research and publication. All entries are at least 1,000 words in length and range from factual narrative entries to thematic and analytical discussions, and combinations of all these. Longer entries range from 3,000 to 5,000 words in length and analyze broader topics such as regional general surveys and wide historical themes including the African Diaspora and Africa in World History.

This up-to-date resource:

Covers the entire continent with complementary and competing cultural forces from north to south and east to west

Examines the entire history of Africa. One third of the work covers the ancient world, kingdoms, cultures, and the dynasties through the European Middle Ages to the end of the eighteenth century. The rest details the cultural, political, economic, and social history of each region from the pre-colonial nineteenth-century through the twentieth-century colonial period and into the postcolonial contemporary period through the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Reflects the indigenous developments and the impact of outside influences and intrusions, including ancient inter-African trade and trade with the Middle East, the spread of Islam, the European slave trade, colonialism, the cold war, and the war on terrorism on African history

Utilizes the latest scholarship on African history

Includes over 95 illustrations and 85 specially commissioned maps- one for each of the 55 modern states and 30 specially designed historical maps indicating important features such as the Languages of Africa, the Songhay Empire, and the Peoples of the East African Savannah in the eighteenth century

Organizes essays into composite articles on the major regions, states, themes, societies, and individuals of African history. Within these multiple-entry composites, the essays are organized in a broadly chronological order: thus Egypt under the Ottomans precedes Egypt under Muhammad Ali

Features an accessible A-Z format, See Alsos to guide the reader to related entries, a full, comprehensive index, and suggestions for further reading at the end of each entry referring to some of the most recent and useful work on the subject

Written by 330 international scholars with over one third from Africa

The Encyclopedia of African History is an easily accessible resource that provides an introduction to virtually all aspects of African history from the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt to Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. As the only reference resource with the latest in African history scholarship, this Encyclopedia is essential for those who are involved in teaching, researching, or studying Africa and its history.

Kevin Shillington took his BA (Hons) degree in Modern History at the University of Dublin in 1968. He gained a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education at the University of Zambia and taught in Zambia for six years. He then obtained his MA and PhD in African History at the University of London before taking up a post at the University of Botswana where he was responsible for training history teachers in the Faculty of Education. Since 1984 he has been a freelance writer of African history based in London.

He is the author of:
The Colonization of the Southern Tswana (1985)
History of Southern Africa (1987, 2nd edn 2002)
History of Africa (1989, 1995, 3rd edn forthcoming 2004)
Jugnauth: Prime Minister of Mauritius(1991)
An African Adventure: A brief life of Cecil Rhodes (1991)
Ghana and the Rawlings Factor (1992)
Causes and Consequences of Independence in Africa (1997)

He is a contributor to Encarta Encyclopedia (US and world editions), co-author of A Junior Certificate History of Zimbabwe (1986), and co-editor of Sowing the Mustard Seed: the Autobiography of Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda (1997)

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