Oral traditions are historical sources of a special nature. Their special nature derives from the fact that they are "unwritten" sources couched in a form suitable for oral transmission, and that their preservation depends on the powers of memory of successive generations of human beings. In many parts of the world inhabited by peoples without writing, oral tradition forms the main available source for a reconstruction of the past.
Oral traditions are historical sources of a special nature. Their special nature derives from the fact that they are "unwritten" sources couched in a ...
This volume sets out a new paradigm that increases our understanding of African culture and the forces that led to its transformation during the period of the Atlantic slave trade and beyond, putting long due emphasis on the importance of Central African culture to the cultures of the United States, Brazil, and the Caribbean. Focusing on the Kongo/Angola culture zone, the book illustrates how African peoples re-shaped their cultural institutions as they interacted with Portuguese slave traders up to 1800, then follows Central Africans through all the regions where they were taken as slaves...
This volume sets out a new paradigm that increases our understanding of African culture and the forces that led to its transformation during the perio...
Like stars, societies are born, and this story deals with such a birth. It asks a fundamental and compelling question: How did societies first coalesce from the small foraging communities that had roamed in West Central Africa for many thousands of years?
Jan Vansina continues a career-long effort to reconstruct the history of African societies before European contact in How Societies Are Born. In this complement to his previous study Paths in the Rainforests, Vansina employs a provocative combination of archaeology and historical linguistics to turn his scholarly...
Like stars, societies are born, and this story deals with such a birth. It asks a fundamental and compelling question: How did societies first coal...
Over 50 years ago, the renowned anthropologist Daryll Forde strongly advocated comparative anthropological studies. Professor Vansina argues that 50 years later, Forde's criticisms still apply despite both Forde's considerable intellectual legacy and an exponential increase in available information. Using the example of Central African peoples, Professor Vansina challenges the current scholarship of sociologists and anthropologists, and makes a compelling case for broad, historical, comparative studies.
Over 50 years ago, the renowned anthropologist Daryll Forde strongly advocated comparative anthropological studies. Professor Vansina argues that 5...
