The making of contemporary Africa - Bill Freund

Reviews of the first edition
'a landmark in African historiography.'
Journal of African History

Fully revised and updated to include the momentous events that have taken place in South Africa, The Making of Contemporary Africa provides a refreshing reinterpretation of the complex events in sub-Saharan Africa since the eighteenth century. It also serves as a succinct introduction to the history of modern Africa, incorporating in the text a critical appraisal of the best scholarship in recent years.

The book first examines indigenous social development and the significance of contact with pre-industrial Europe. Following the Industrial Revolution, the impact of colonialism is considered from the perspective of class formation and capital penetration. Social and cultural changes during this period are given special attention. Decolonisation and the post-colonial development of Africa are analysed on the foundation of basic economic changes, not by the usual, narrowly-conceived chronological political catalogue.

New chapters look at the revolutionary process in southern Africa and focus on the contemporary themes of economic crisis, structural adjustment and the pitfalls of democratisation.