The reconstruction of African history through historical, ethnographic and oral sources

Until the 1950s hardly any university in the world taught African history. Such interest as existed in the subject was confined to colonial and imperial history or, more usually, a study of European activities in Africa. Colonial history, however, attracted few followers and was always regarded as a poor relation of mainstream history (Coupland 1939a, 1939b, Boxer 1961, 1965). Invariably, African historiography became the domain of amateurs who largely consisted of explorers, traders, missionaries, and administrators.