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The history of African cities south of the Sahara : from the origins to colonization / Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch ; translated by Mary Baker.

By: Language: English Original language: French Publication details: Princeton, NJ : Markus Wiener Publishers, c2005.Description: xviii, 421 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 1558763023 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Uniform titles:
  • Histoire des villes d'Afrique noire. English
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 307.76/0967 22
LOC classification:
  • HT148.S8 C6713 2005
Contents:
I. CITIES IN AFRICA : 1. African urbanization? -- 2. Precolonial African cities: an attempt at definition -- 3. An attempt at periodization. II. ANCIENT CITIES : 1. East Africa and the Meriotic heritage -- 2. Western Sudan and the interior delta of the Niger. III. BANTU CITIES 1. Zimbabwe and the stone ruins of southern Africa -- 2. The capitals of the small kingdoms of central Africa -- 3. The capitals of central west African kingdoms. IV. ISLAM AND AFRICAN CITIES : 1. From ancient to Islamized cities -- 2. The west of Africa -- 3. Swahili cities. V. THE ATLANTIC PERIOD : 1. Before the slave trade -- 2. The slave trade period. VI. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY URBAN REVOLUTION : 1. Ports and markets in East Africa -- 2. The urban revolution in Sudanese Africa -- 3. From north to south: the colonial transition.
Summary: Publisher description: 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. About the author: Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, University of Paris and SUNY Binghamton, is the author of six books, including Africa South of the Sahara: Endurance and Change and African Women: A Modern History.

Translation of: Histoire des villes d'Afrique noire.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 379-412) and index.

I. CITIES IN AFRICA : 1. African urbanization? -- 2. Precolonial African cities: an attempt at definition -- 3. An attempt at periodization. II. ANCIENT CITIES : 1. East Africa and the Meriotic heritage -- 2. Western Sudan and the interior delta of the Niger. III. BANTU CITIES 1. Zimbabwe and the stone ruins of southern Africa -- 2. The capitals of the small kingdoms of central Africa -- 3. The capitals of central west African kingdoms. IV. ISLAM AND AFRICAN CITIES : 1. From ancient to Islamized cities -- 2. The west of Africa -- 3. Swahili cities. V. THE ATLANTIC PERIOD : 1. Before the slave trade -- 2. The slave trade period. VI. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY URBAN REVOLUTION : 1. Ports and markets in East Africa -- 2. The urban revolution in Sudanese Africa -- 3. From north to south: the colonial transition.

Publisher description: 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. About the author: Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, University of Paris and SUNY Binghamton, is the author of six books, including Africa South of the Sahara: Endurance and Change and African Women: A Modern History.

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