The debate about ethnicity in sub-Saharan Africa has come to an uneasy consensus in the 1990s, but it has to be asked if we are really close to a solution. How can comparative and historical views help to inform the debate? In this work, seven scholars bring in a long-term perspective to ethno-cultural solidarities, which they explore within a multi-disciplinary framework. This return to the 'heart of the ethnic group', twenty-five years after Elikia M'Bokolo's and Jean-Loup Amselle's path-breaking reinterpretation of ethnicity in Africa, argues for a reappraisal of approaches to ethnicity that have been adopted in recent decades. Focusing on two major geographical regions of the African continent - Senegambia including Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone, and the area of Southern Tanzania and the northern half of Mozambique -, the chapters in this volume provide a new historical interpretation of the processes of identity-building in sub-Saharan Africa.
«Understanding ethnic conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the role that ethnicity plays in the political and social life of Africa's peoples, requires comprehending the historical roots of ethnic identities and the forces that cause them to change and become mobilized. This volume brings together a collection of fascinating essays that contribute to this important agenda. Written by a set of distinguished Africanist scholars and drawing on material from across the continent, the chapters provide new insight into how ethnic identities, stereotypes and solidarities in Africa have emerged and metamorphosized over the past two centuries. Taken together, they offer a critical contribution to our understanding of the ways in which social identities evolve over the long-term. The book will be indispensible reading for those interested in understanding the historical forces that have shaped contemporary African ethnic identities.» (Daniel N. Posner, University of California, Los Angeles)
«'Ethnicity and the Long-term Perspective: The African Experience' is a work of remarkable quality. [...] [It] is to be recommended to all who would like to learn more about Africa from other sources than purely political points of view.» (Jaroslav Valkoun, Jahrbuch für Europäische Überseegeschichte 11, 2011)
«'Ethnicity and the Long-term Perspective: The African Experience' is a work of remarkable quality. [...] [It] is to be recommended to all who would like to learn more about Africa from other sources than purely political points of view.» (Jaroslav Valkoun, Jahrbuch für Europäische Überseegeschichte 11, 2011)