Overview

The Routledge Companion to Postcolonial African Historiography explores history's fortunes in Modern Africa south of the Sahara, from the discipline's Golden Age as a handmaiden in struggles against colonialism, to difficult decades when its survival has been threatened by capricious political and economic conditions, and the uncertain present where the continent’s historians struggle to justify their value to frequently sceptical publics. In exploring the discipline’s practical role in past struggles for African emancipation the volume speaks directly to these challenging but changing circumstances. The chapters feature contributions from leading experts on historiographical traditions of different regions of the continent. They collectively demonstrate how the process of instrumentalizing the past to advance lay struggles has influenced the choices historians have made regarding sources, methodology, interpretation, audiences, and platforms. This practical application has strongly shaped the diverse forms that African historiography has assumed, as reflected in this book. The themes discussed offer a platform for inserting Africa into comparative studies of global historiographical traditions, whilst also contributing to contemporary debates on decolonization. In offering accessible insights from leading historians, this is an essential handbook for students and scholars of African history and historiography, as well as all those interested in postcolonial studies.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thula Simpson (University of Pretoria, South Africa) ,  Immanuel R. Harisch
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.620kg
ISBN:  

9781032110479

ISBN 10:   1032110473
Pages:   246
Publication Date:   08 May 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Contributors Preface Immanuel R. Harisch and Thula Simpson Part I: Histories 1 The Evolution of Africanist Historiography Thula Simpson and Immanuel R. Harisch 2 The Political Use of History from the Nineteenth-Century Gold Coast to Nkrumah’s Ghana Matteo Grilli 3 History and the Politics of the Past in Côte d’Ivoire Konstanze N’Guessan 4 The Teaching and Writing History at Makerere in Uganda, 1950s until 2020s Pamela Khanakwa 5 The Dar es Salaam Schools of History, c. 1960s – 1980s Immanuel R. Harisch 6 Trends in Historical Studies on Angola and Mozambique from Decolonisation to the Present Justin Pearce 7 Umkhonto we Sizwe and its Historians Thulasizwe Simpson 8 Terence Ranger, Patriotic History, and the Dangers of a “big man” in a Young Nation’s History Diana Jeater 9 Urban Worlds in Motion: A Survey of African Urban Historiography Carl-Philipp Bodenstein Part II: Perspectives 10 How I Became an Africanist Historian Neil Parsons 11 “History is and remains the Soul of Society” Drissa Kone 12 A Discipline under Threat: The Status of History in Zambia Clarence Chongo 13 What makes an Africanist Historian? Simplice Ayangma Bonoho 14 The Making of a Historian Bryson G. Nkhoma Index

Reviews

'The turn of the century brought steep challenges to historians interested in Africa's past. Such challenges have forced some backward steps, but also some maturation and growth. The present volume provides readers with examples and the much needed context to understand the many changes that have resulted in what today is a diverse, rich, embattled and yet thriving field.' – Esperenza Brizuela-Garcia, Montclair State University

Author Information

Thula Simpson is presently affiliated to the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies at the University of Pretoria and is an editor of the Journal of African History. His research specializations include the history of the African National Congress’s armed struggle, modern South African history, and African historians and historiography. His publications on these topics include Umkhonto we Sizwe: The ANC’s Armed Struggle (2016), History of South Africa: From 1902 to the Present (2021), and the edited ANC and the Liberation Struggle in South Africa: Essential Writings (2017), and History Beyond Apartheid: New Approaches in South African Historiography. His contributions to this book are based on research supported by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Immanuel R. Harisch is currently a Post-Doctoral researcher in a project on Zambian-Yugoslav relations at the University of Vienna, Austria. His thesis on African trade unions during the Cold War has been awarded the Walter Markov Price for Global History and the Young Scholars’ Award 2024 of the German African Studies Association. He has studied, worked and researched in Tanzania and Zambia and has published edited volumes and articles on African socialisms, East-South relations and historical knowledge production. Since 2021 he has been the managing editor of the fully open access journal Stichproben. Vienna Journal of African Studies.

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