Introduction

This chapter discusses the contents of the book. It frames ethnicity in Angola by discussing the contemporary political organisation of Angolan ethnic groups and positioning the role of the Ovimbundu in recent Angolan history. Briefly discussing the literature available, this chapter outlines the puzzle of the book, grounded on a contradiction in the literature corpus. Presenting specific questions that seek to address this contradiction, the chapter provides a discussion on modern Ovimbundu ethnicity, summarising the processes and influences that contributed to the creation Ovimbundu political ethnicity. Methods and sources are briefly discussed to provide the reader with a trail to the research that lead to this book. The chapter is concluded with a map of the book, summarising the contents and more relevant themes of each chapter.