In dealing with Africans in European service, Vandervort also misses some important points. This is too much. Lugard in 1900 in northern Nigeria and Bugeaud in Algeria in the 1830s agreed. Vandervort, moreover, consistently overestimates African battlefield options under the onslaught of early colonialism. One worries when one is asked to expect Asante persistence in the face of enormous casualties taken at the battle of Amoafo.
Military technology counts.
These are misleading comparisons, not clarifying analogies. He ignores the many complex issues facing African polities. Nonetheless, for strengths as well as weaknesses, this book deserves commendation. There is much still to be done, though, before works of synthesis truly reflecting African perspectives are laid before educated lay readers.