The Making of Contemporary Africa

This established text provides a refreshing account of the complex events in sub-Saharan Africa since 1800. Fully revised and updated throughout, this third edition incorporates the latest scholarship, and brings the book up to the present day.

Aligning itself with the new critical tendencies emerging in Africa, The Making of Contemporary Africa examines indigenous social development prior to the Industrial Revolution and the impact of colonialism from the perspective of class formation and capital penetration. Decolonisation and post-colonial development are analysed on the basis of economic changes rather than the usual political lens. Additional chapters new to this edition cover Africa in the twenty-first century and look at social and cultural history since independence.