African History covers all countries, cultures and civilisations on the continent of Africa from the Mediterranean in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the south, from the Atlantic in the west to the Indian Ocean in the east, along with scattered islands and island groups about the coastline. It covers all Africans including those of Arab background and stretches from the earliest times to the present. It incorporates pre-colonial groups, colonisation and changes in the post-colonial era.

This page provides links to information and resources for units and topics covered in this subject at a range of Australian universities. It does not attempt to include all these. Be aware some units/topics have different titles in different universities, even though content may be the same or similar. Australian information is supplied wherever possible.

They are at undergraduate level and listed in alphabetical groupings for ease of access. Some information may be useful at a higher level.

In addition, there are journals, search engines, databases, primary documents, reference material and other general information where these are seen to be relevant.

All standard Glossaries are now found on this page, listed alphabetically.

Additional unit material will be included as time permits.

This page requires further development. This will be done as soon as time permits through the addition of further topics and a strengthening of those that already exist.

If you are aware of any worthwhile information which is not included, suggestions or additions are welcome and will be given every consideration.

A - F

African Leaders

Leaders who have impacted on the shape of the African continent, culture or world politics.

• Abdel-Nasser, Gamal
  [1918-1970]
• Amin, Idi
• Annan, Kofi
• Biko, Steven
  [1946-1977]
• Boutros-Ghali, Boutros
• el-Sadat, Mohamed Anwar
  [1918-1981]
• Guei, Robert
• Ibn Battuta, Abu Abdullah Muhammad
  [c.1304-c.1369]
• Mandela, Nelson
• Mugabe, Robert
• Nkrumah, Kwame
  [1909-1972]
• Nyerere, Julius Kambarage
  [1922-1999]
• Qadhafi, Muammar
• Rhodes, Cecil
  [1853-1902]

Ancient Africa

• Accounts of Meröe, Kush, and Axum
  Classical resources.
• Africa - the Cradle of Civilisation
  From Ancient to later kingdoms.
• Ancient African Empires
• Ancient Harar and History
  Culture in particular.
• Ancient Africa’s Black Kingdoms
• Ancient Nubia : Egypt’s Rival in Africa
• Kingdom of Kush
  Origins, 25^th Dynasty of Egypt, Move to Meroë, In the Bible, In fiction, references, sources, other links. From Wikipedia. Another brief article can be found at Civilisations in Africa.
• Land of Kam, The
  Kametic peoples of the Nile Valley.
• Meröe
• Nubia The Land Upriver : Napata

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Bantu Migration/Expansion

‘The Bantu are a group of people known more as a language group than as a distinct ethnic group. The Bantu people are characterized by the word “ntu” in their language and have similar social characteristics’.
Kiswahili language information.

• Bantu
  Boivieapedia.
• Bantu Expansion
  Pre-expansion demography, expansion, references, further reading, other links. From Wikipedia.
• Bantu Languages
  Classification, language structure, notable Bantu Languages, other links, bibliography, references. From Wikipedia. Another site at SALanguages has a range of links to language information. Scroll down to these.
• Bantu Migration
  Information from Makerere University. You can even download the information and activities as a Teaching Unit.
• Bantu Migration [2]
  Information and images/map.
• Exploring Africa
  Looks at multiple migrations within Africa, including the Bantu Migration.
• Genetic Evidence Used To Trace Ancient African Migration
  Research information from Stanford University.
• New Linguistic Evidence and the Bantu Expansion
  Article from the Journal of African History. Full-text may be available through affiliated library or institution.
• People on The Move
  BBC Radio program. Several audio presentations in addition to the information provided.
• The Chronological Evidence for the Introduction of Domestic Stock into Southern Africa
  Article by C Britt Bousman, Texas State University. PDF document.

Documents, Journals, Maps & Texts

• Africa Research Bulletin
  History of the present, covering a wide range of areas.
• Historical Maps of Africa
• Internet African History Sourcebook
  Access primary material for Africa from the distant past to the present day.
• Primary Sources
  Clearly annotated links to a wide range of primary documentary sources from a variety of repositories. Also has a link to a listing of sources for Historical Photographs.
• WebChron : Africa South of the Sahara
  Chronology of events and articles about major events.

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G - L

General Sites

• African History
  From Suite101. From Original Settlers of Liberia to Ghana Empires, Indigenous African History, Modern African History, African Independence, links to related topics on Africa.
• African Studies Centre
  Country pages grouped alphabetically, publications, current events, images, maps & flags, links [in multiple directories], newsletter, more.
• African Studies Gateway
  Multiple sections covering, history & culture, Arts, Literature & cinema, politics, research, gender, Hausa, Lusophone African Studies sources, South Africa, West Africa, more.
• African Timelines
  Timelines about events on the African continent.
• An A-Z of African Studies on the Internet
  ‘Encompasses Internet sites, discussion lists and any other e-resources of relevance to Africa/African studies’. Listed alphabetically, with most annotated.
• Kanem Bornu and the Hausa States
  Historical oversight of the Hausa Kingdoms.
• Kingdoms of the Medieval Sudan
  Mali, Kanem Bornu and Hausaland in the period before colonisation.
• The Story of Africa
  From the BBC. Sections on Independence, Between the Wars, Southern Africa, Africa and Europe, Central African Kingdoms, Slavery, Religion, The Swahili, West African Kingdoms, The Nile Valley, Early History, Timeline, more.
• Wonders of the African World
  Looks at Africa and debunks myths that have gained credence over the years. PBS.

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M - R

Partition & Colonisation of Africa

Africa, like many other areas of the world was colonised by European powers in the 19^th century. This was a culmination of many colonisation processes which had occurred over a longer period of time, though it could certainly be considered as having taken a different approach to colonisation.

• Africa : Early Empires, Colonisation and Independence
  A senior school unit learning about ‘Africa and her external contacts’.
• Africa & Europe [1800-1914]
  BBC Radio program. Introduction and links to two programs : Africa on The Eve of Colonisation and also Partition & Resistance.
• Africa : Imperialism and Colonialism
  ‘These sites contain information on colonial Africa. There are maps, photographs and other primary source documents, as well as essays and interviews with contemporary authors and experts’. Designed for senior secondary students.
• Africa Since 1800
  ‘This book begins by looking at the peoples of Africa at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and goes on to study the commercial and ideological penetration of Africa by the outside world. The partition and colonisation of Africa by the European powers are discussed, and there is comprehensive discussion of the colonial rule between 1885 and 1960’. Free download.
• Berlin Conference
  Early history of the conference, conference, General Act, agenda, consequences, references, bibliography, other links. From Wikipedia.
• Colonial Africa
  Multiple annotated links to topics relating to colonial Africa. From About.com.
• Decolonisation of Africa
  Background, causes, timeline, notes, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• European Imperialism in the 19^th Century
  Reading for a course at a US university.
• Global Studies of Africa : Colonialism
  An extensive collection of links relating to Africa. Also includes links to primary documentation. Done for History teachers.
• History of Black African Slavery and Colonisation [YouTube]
  A series of videos are available on this topic beginning with the one in the title.
• Imperialism : A German Viewpoint
  Extract from a primary source giving this.
• Imperialism in Africa
  Article from Suite101.
• Imperialism in Africa Readings
  A collection of links to sources for reading in this area, some from unexpected authors.
• Mandates in Africa
  What happened with German Colonies after World War 1. From About.com.
• Map of Africa [Capacity for White Colonisation] 1906
  ‘Low resolution free Map of Africa [.jpg]’.
• Scramble for Africa
  Background, causes, crises prior to the First World War, Colonial encounter, conclusions, African colonies listed by colonising power, references, further reading, links, more. From Wikipedia.

South African Colonisation

• History of South Africa [1815-1910]
  The British Colonisation. growth of independent South Africa, the Anglo-Boer Wars, Roots of Union. From Wikipedia.
• Pre 1899 : Colonisation & Land Supremacy
  One section of a South African History presentation. Has multiple section ranging from convict stations at The Cape to The Second Anglo-Boer War. One section looks at Slavery and Early Colonisation in South Africa.
• South Africa : Dutch Colonialism
  Presentation with listed rereferences.

• Speech of the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain
  At the annual dinner of the Royal Colonial Institute on March 31, 1897. A British viewpoint.
• The “Scramble for Africa”
  A series of very brief presentations but with original graphics from the period. Covers this introduction and 8 other sections.
• What Caused the Scramble for Africa ?
  ‘The Scramble for Africa [1880-1900] was a period of rapid colonisation of the African continent by European powers. But it wouldn’t have happened except for the particular economic, social, and military evolution Europe was going through’.

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S - Z

Slavery in Africa

Slavery, The Slave Trade, groups involved, Ancient & Modern, …

• Africa and Slavery
  Annotated links on multiple aspects. Stanford University Library.
• Africa before European Slavery
  Article. International Slavery Museum, Liverpool.
• Africa and Slavery, 1801 to 1860
  Article. Multiple sections.
• Africa Before Transatlantic Slavery
  One section among a number on this area. The Abolition Project.
• African Slave Trade
  Slavery within Africa, slaves taken from Africa, effects, abolition, further reading, links. From Wikipedia.
• A History of Slavery and Early Colonisation in South Africa
  Sections listed in left menu. Related links, This Day in History [Slavery], more.
• Arab Slave Trade
  Scope, sources, historiography, historical & geographical context, Africa and the Arab Slave Trade, geography, references, bibliography, links. From Wikipedia.
• Arab Slave Trade [2]
  6 major sections. ‘The Arab trade primarily harvested the women of East Africa to serve as domestic slaves, wet nannies and sex-slaves in the infamous harems’.
• Bibliography
  ‘Imperialism and Nationalism Themes in the History of Slavery and Abolition, c. 1650-2000’
• Economic Impact on Slavery in Africa
  Short bibliography recommendations. Not recent, but books haven’t changed.
• Images of African Slavery and the Slave Trade
  Sketches, diagrams.
• São Tomé and the Slave Trade
  ‘Portuguese Slave Trading in the Sixteenth and Nineteenth Century’.
• Slave Chronology
  Two sections on the History of Slavery with the chronology in 3 parts - 1619-1789, 1790-1829, 1830-the end. For other timelines see the African Timelines link in the General Sites.
• Slavery
  BBC, The Story of Africa. Roots of Slavery, African slave owners, The East African Slave Trade, The Atlantic Slave Trade, The middle passage, Africa’s losses, African resistance, The end of slavery.
• Slavery [EB]
  Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Guide to Black History. Covers sections with sub-topics on Historical survey, The law of slavery, The sociology of slavery, Agriculture, Slave Culture [including additional reading].
• Slavery and the Slave Trade
  ‘African people have been captured and sold as slaves within their own continent, across the Atlantic, and in the East. Even today reports in the news suggest slavery still exists’. Multiple linked topics from About.com.
• Slavery at The Cape
  Part of a longer section on slavery.
• Slavery in Ghana, The Trokosi Tradition
  Article.
• Slavery in Modern Africa
  Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Child Slave Trade, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• The Impact of Slavery
  Annotated links to original documentation. Papal Bulls, statutes, slave narratives, more.
• The Impact of The Slave Trade on Africa
  Article on French involvement and abolition.
• The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades
  ‘Can part of Africa’s current underdevelopment be explained by its slave trades ?’
• Traditional Slavery in West Africa
  Contemporary situation. The Anti-Slavery Society.
• Types of Slavery in Africa
  Part of a blog. Various forms including chattel, debt bondage, forced labour, serfdom. A similar site can be found here.

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