The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary

(Hardback)

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Description

Recent historical events have made it quite clear that the world is in for a long-term continuation of ethnic rivalries that have been going on for centuries. The short-term hegemony of the European empires, the Soviet Union and the United States may have temporarily subdued some of those conflicts, but older identities are now reasserting themselves. The most complicated, diverse ethnic setting is in Africa, where several thousand languages still provide powerful identities to as many ethnic groups. "The Peoples of Africa" provides a brief description of the more than 1,800 individual African ethnic groups living today in Africa. Where possible, the individual ethnic groups are discussed in terms of their geographical settings, religion, population and local economy. Reference librarians, African area specialists and students of African history and culture should find this book a valuable guide.

Reviews

"[I]t is hard to imagine a more complete dictionary than this one, which includes more than 1,800 ethnic groups. Some previous lists, particularly lists of languages, are often coincident with ethnic groups, but none have approached the utility of Olson's. Most importantly, he includes peoples that are not well known and have small populations, and he avoids the offensive and colonial-sounding "tribe.,.". Recommended for libraries serving African studies or anthropology programs."-Choice
[I]t is hard to imagine a more complete dictionary than this one, which includes more than 1,800 ethnic groups. Some previous lists, particularly lists of languages, are often coincident with ethnic groups, but none have approached the utility of Olson's. Most importantly, he includes peoples that are not well known and have small populations, and he avoids the offensive and colonial-sounding "tribe.,.". Recommended for libraries serving African studies or anthropology programs.-Choice
Olson...has brought together a massive amount of information on 1,800 distinct ethnic groups in Africa today...This comprehensive reference source will be valuable in academic and large public libraries. In addition to its vaule for students and specialists, the work shows the continent's rich diversity of people.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"It is hard to imagine a more complete dictionary than this one, which includes more than 1,800 ethnic groups. Some previous lists, particularly lists of languages, are often coincident with ethnic groups, but none have approached the utility of Olson's. Most importantly, he includes peoples that are not well known and have small populations, and he avoids the offensive and colonial-sounding "tribe...". Recommended for libraries serving African studies or anthropology programs."-Choice
"Olson...has brought together a massive amount of information on 1,800 distinct ethnic groups in Africa today...This comprehensive reference source will be valuable in academic and large public libraries. In addition to its vaule for students and specialists, the work shows the continent's rich diversity of people."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

JAMES S. OLSON is Distinguished Professor of History at Sam Houston State University, where he has taught since 1972. He is the author of more than 20 books on U.S. and world history. With Robert Shadle, he edited Historical Dictionary of the British Empire (Greenwood, 1996).