Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty (African Studies) [Hardcover]

Christopher Wrigley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0521473705 | ISBN-13: 978-0521473705

In a study of Africa's political and religious past, Christopher Wrigley uses local traditions and comparative mythology to explore an ancient system of myth and ritual in the precolonial kingdom of Buganda, the nucleus of modern Uganda. The study includes critical assessment of oral traditions and places Buganda in a wider regional context. The book is an elegant, wide-ranging and original study of one of Africa's most famous kingdoms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...[Wrigley's] book, which is provocative on almost every page, rightly challenges historians and anthropologists to move beyond mundane temporal issues to consider how Africans dealt with the deepest questions of moral and political philosophy." American Historical Review

"In addition to its analytic brilliance, Wrigley's study is a compendium of wonderful stories that deal with both kings and kingship, with both people and humanity. In short, this book shows why states never cease to fascinate..." Choice

"Kingship and State is a highly readable and engrossing history; it is also an outstanding exemplar of data from different disciplines woven together. It is essential reading for those interested in African History, and it is going to remain so for a long time." Christopher Ehret, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"Christopher Wrigley's brilliantly original and provocative work of research and synthesis may inspire renewed attention by other scholars to major issues of precolonial lake region history at a time when archaeology is revealing much new information." John A. Rowe, International Journal of African Historical Studies

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521473705
• ISBN-13: 978-0521473705
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,650,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.