Africa since 1800 [Paperback]

Roland Oliver (Author), Anthony Atmore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521544742 | ISBN-13: 978-0521544740 | Publication Date: February 7, 2005 | Edition: 5

This book, the Fifth Revised Edition of a well-known introductory textbook, has remained in steady demand for the past forty years. The new edition covers events up to the middle of 2003, and takes account of the fresh perspectives brought about by the end of the Cold War and the new global situation following the events of September 11, 2001. It is also concerned with the demographic trends which are at the heart of so many African problems today, the ravages of diseases such as AIDS and malaria, and the conflicts waged by warlords fighting for control of scarce resources. Previous Edition Hb (1994): 0-521-41946-8 Previous Edition Pb (1994): 0-521-42970-6

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... the authors must be thoroughly congratulated for taking Africa seriously as a continent.' The Times Educational Supplement

'A highly readable work of reference and invaluable to all seeking a comprehensive picture of the continent's emergence in the past two centuries.' African Economic Digest --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

This book is addressed primarily to college students beginning a course in African Studies. It is comprised of two chapters on the people's of africa at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, a study of the commercial and ideological penetration of Africa by the outside world during the first three quarters of the 19th century, two chapters on the partition and colonisation of Africa by the European powers, and six more which deal with the period of active colonial rule between 1885 and 1960. The last third of the book is concerned with the history of independent Africa during the last years of the 20th century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 5 edition (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521544742
• ISBN-13: 978-0521544740
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Renaissance

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Africa, December 26, 2007

By 

Gen Res (World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Africa since 1800 (Paperback)

Africa Since 1800 (5th edition) details Africa since the 1800s as the title states. First the book starts off with historical and religious differences between the different African countries. Then it goes into Europe's colonization of Africa, and the various wars fought and the minerals and resources in each country. Afterwards the road to independence and life after colonization. Because of colonization and the lack of educational institutions in Africa, the different countries lack behind the rest of the world in many things. In addition, the high rate of HIV/AIDS in various parts of the continent kills 20 to 30 year olds and leaves many children as orphans. I bought this book so I could learn about the history of the diverse continent of Africa as well as current events, this book contained both. Also there are many interesting facts and figures such as in the year 2000, there were 10 million phones across Africa and half of them were in South Africa (pg 372 paperback edition). The paperback edition has 382 pages of reading. This book covers the complete continent of Africa and is a valuable and informative read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Africa course, June 23, 2009

By 

Linda (Millis, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Africa since 1800 (Paperback)

I used approximately 3/4 of this text in order to teach/create a new course on the Scramble for Africa for my high school students. The book provided the students with detailed information grouped into geographical categories of Africa. It also clearly linked cause and effect and relationships among events. As any text, it could be a bit dry and sometimes hard to follow for high school students due to the amount of details provided, but it did a particularly great job explaining the evolution and revolution of South Africa. I intend to continue using it and if you're a teacher considering a text for this time period, this was by the far the best I could find that focused on this time period - 4 1/2 stars! Feel free to contact me for thoughts on teaching about this amazing continent - I learned a lot during this first-time teaching process and look forward to learning more when I teach it again.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars short and dense, February 9, 2001

By 

kingmonkey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Africa since 1800 (Paperback)

Weighing in at less than three hundred pages on a history as convoluted and mysterious to Americans as that of Africa it still manages to convey at massive amounts of information. This is also it's main weakness dumping extras like style and readability it gets incredibly frustrating at times. The subject is fascinating though. The sections on the approaches taken by the various holding countries to release their holdings and transfer rule are fascinating.