Description
Book SynopsisWhy has Africa remained persistently poor over its recorded history? Has Africa always been poor? What has been the nature of Africa's poverty and how do we explain its origins? This volume takes a necessary interdisciplinary approach to these questions by bringing together perspectives from archaeology, linguistics, history, anthropology, political science and economics.
Trade Review'A cast of formidable scholars has written a powerful book with provocative propositions on development, the core of African modernity, brilliantly revealing its long roots and complexities in time, culture, people, and institutions. This will serve as an engaging teaching text for students and compelling instructional tool for policy makers.' Toyin Falola, Jacob and Frances Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, University of Texas, Austin
'It has long been time for Africa to be inserted into the Europe-Asia 'great divergence' debate. This volume, containing contributions from the leading practitioners of African economic history, sets us firmly upon such a voyage.' Ralph A. Austen, Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago
'Africa's economic and political history is a challenge to most well-established approaches in economics and political science. This book has much to teach and will inspire anybody interested in confronting that challenge.' Daron Acemoglu, Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
'The authors have done a great job assembling an excellent group of papers dealing with today's economic development issues through a historical prism. All the key areas are touched upon, with the political economy, health, social capital and trust issues all discussed. A really wonderful book on African development.' Yaw Nyarko, New York University
'This volume provides plenty of food for thought … and it is to be hoped that it is not the last of its kind.' Felicitas Becker, Comparativ
Table of ContentsPart I. Introduction: La Longue Durée: 1. Africa in history Christopher Ehret; 2. Reversal of fortune and socioeconomic development in the Atlantic world: a comparative examination of West Africa and the Americas, 1400–1850 Joseph Inikori; 3. The impact of malaria on African development over the longue durée David N. Weil; 4. African population, 1650–2000: comparisons and implications of new estimates Patrick Manning; Part II. Culture, Entrepreneurialism, and Development: 5. Redistributive pressures in sub-Saharan Africa: causes, consequences, and coping strategies Jean-Philippe Platteau; 6. Accumulation and conspicuous consumption: the poverty of entrepreneurship in Western Nigeria, ca.1850–1930 Ayodeji Olukoju; 7. Changing dynamics of entrepreneurship in nineteenth-century Africa Emmanuel Akyeampong; 8. The textile industry of Eastern Africa in the longue durée William Gervase Clarence-Smith; 9. Explaining and evaluating the cash crop revolution in the 'peasant' colonies of tropical Africa, c.1890–c.1930: beyond 'vent-for-surplus' Gareth Austin; 10. Re-inventing the wheel: the economic benefits of wheeled transportation in early colonial British West Africa Isaias Chaves, Stanley L. Engerman and James A. Robinson; 11. Mbanza Kongo/São Salvador: culture and the transformation of an African city, 1491 to 1670s Linda Heywood; Part III. Institutions: 12. The fragile revolution: rethinking war and development in Africa's violent nineteenth century Richard Reid; 13. The imperial peace Robert Bates; Part IV. External Forces: 14. Dahomey in the world: Dahomean rulers and European demands, 1726–1894 John Thornton; 15. The transatlantic slave trade and the evolution of political authority in West Africa Warren C. Whatley; 16. Gender and missionary influence in colonial Africa Nathan Nunn.
