This book examines key themes in West Africa’s history from prehistory to the present. The contents of the book comprise an introduction and thirteen chapters divided into three parts. Each chapter provides an overview of existing literature on major topics, as well as a short list of recommended reading, and breaks new ground through the incorporation of original research. The first part of the book examines paths to a West African past, including perspectives from archaeology, ecology and culture, linguistics, and oral traditions. Part two probes environment, society, and agency and historical change through essays on the slave trade, social inequality, religious interaction, poverty, disease, and urbanization. Part three sheds light on contemporary West Africa by exploring how economic and political developments have shaped religious expression and identity. Contributors: Susan Keech McIntosh, James L.A. Webb, Jr., M.E. Kropp Dakubu, David C. Conrad, Patrick Manning, Ismail Rashid, Pashington Obeng , Ogbu U. Kalu, Emmanuel Akyeampong, Andreas Eckert, Celestin Monga, Cyril K. Daddieh, Brian Larkin and Birgit Meyer. [ASC Leiden abstract]
