AAAS 1000: Chapter 1 - African History Myths

Who were key philosophers that spread myths about Africa?

Hegel and Hume

How did European philosophers portray Africa?

As non-historical, uncivilized, and inferior; not human

Why are European philosophical writings a problem for African history?

They were biased but later treated as factual sources

What period did African myths strongly develop?

The 1700s during the slave trade era

What kind of image did slave trade writers give of Africa?

Violent, primitive, chaotic

Why did historians rely heavily on slave trade accounts?

Europeans valued written records over oral sources

Name one effect of early European travel and slave accounts.

They shaped long-lasting stereotypes about Africa

Who challenged racist historical views in the mid-1900s?

Basil Davidson

What was the major problem with African history writing before WWII?

It was mostly written by Europeans with colonial bias

Who promoted the idea of the “White Man’s Burden”?

Rudyard Kipling

What did the “White Man’s Burden” idea justify?

Colonization as a civilizing mission

Why is 1945 a turning point in African history studies?

African history became recognized in universities

What happened to African Studies after WWII?

Courses and research centers were established

Why were oral traditions originally rejected as history?

Europeans believed only written sources were reliable

What did oral traditions preserve?

Politics, migrations, cultural knowledge, memory

Why are oral histories important to African historiography?

They provide African-centered historical evidence

Who wrote about “New African” and “Old African” traditions?

Thomas Houston

How did enslaved Africans reshape Christianity?

They reinterpreted the Bible through their cultural experiences

What amendment officially ended slavery?

The 13th Amendment

How did forced labor continue after slavery ended?

Through prison labor systems

What organization helped start Black Studies as a field?

Association for the Study of Negro Life and History

Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

A major Black scholar and first Black PhD from Harvard

What was Carter G. Woodson’s contribution?

He pushed African history into universities

What did William Leo Hansberry argue?

Africa had ancient civilizations and written traditions

Who was Nnamdi Azikiwe?

Hansberry’s student and later a leader in post-colonial Nigeria

Why are the 1960s important for African education?

Growth of independent African universities

Where did new universities develop in the 1960s?

East Africa, Nigeria, and Sudan

What is the main source of early myths about Africa?

European slave trade and travel writings

Why is European authorship of African history an issue?

It excluded African perspectives

What major shift happened in African historiography after WWII?

African history became a legitimate academic field