Transformations in Africa: Essays on Afica's Later Past

The essays in this book challenge the long-held belief that Africa was culturally and economically dormant before the advent of colonialism. A shift is traced from hunter-gatherers to food production and cattle pastoralism, with the development of precolonial urbanism, trading links and even iron-working technology. The contributors assess also the impact of climatic change on settlement and production, and the consequences of African-European interaction. This is an indispensible venture into rarely charted territory, which should prompt further research into Africa's past.