The history of African cities south of the Sahara
Subtitle: from the origins to colonization
By: Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch ; translated by Mary Baker.
Publisher: Markus Wiener Publishers
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Princton, NJ
Language: eng
Number of pages: 421
Subjects: Cities and towns -- Africa, Sub-Saharan -- History
Description: Cities have existed in sub-Saharan Africa since antiquity. But only now are historians and archaeologists rediscovering their rich heritage: the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe and Congo, the harbor cities at the Indian Ocean, the capitals of the Bantu Kingdoms, the Atlantic cities from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and the urban revolutions in the 19th century. Mercantile cities opened Africa to the world, Islamic cities became centers of scholarship and the trans-Saharan trade, Creole cities appeared after the first contact with Europeans, and Bantu cities of the hinterland reacted against them. The author has gone through vast numbers of archival records and conducted independent field research to analyze and describe the rich history of African cities even long before imperial colonization began, and she continues her story until the time of urban reorganization during industrialization. The result is a colorful panorama of urban lifestyles including unique examples of architecture, and lasting traditions of ethnic, cultural, religious, and commercial forms of co-existence.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 379-412) and index.
Translation of: Histoire des villes d'Afrique noire.