ABSTRACT
In one sense, the history of emotions is a nascent field of enquiry for historians of Africa. Few historians have drawn on the European or global historiography of emotions, or engaged with the theoretical concepts underpinning the field. In another sense, emotions have been a central part of research on Africa for decades, with historians building upon the foundations of anthropology. Drawing on both of these approaches to writing about emotions in African history, this chapter surveys the sources and methodologies used to write these histories, as well as key areas of research into affective histories in Africa – most notably love and intimacy, and politics, violence and memory.
