Africa's Urban Past - Tapa dura

I have seldom read a book which introduced me to so many new things - to so many fresh topics and to so much new research by scholars, many of them young, as well as by established figures such as John Thornton and Robin Law... I found this book almost a course in African Studies in itself.' - Terence Ranger in African Affairs 'The editors provide an excellent introduction which outlines the entire history of African urbanism in eight tightly-written pages, explains the rationale of the book in the context of the state of the art , and places the seventeen studies included here into their broader academic context.' - Anthony Lemon in English Historical Review '... will definitely be on my undergraduate African History reading list.' - David Dorward in ARAS

Urbanization has been an important feature of Africa's history for over 2000 years. Towns and cities have been arenas around which societies have organized themselves: as centres of trade and economic activity; as foci of political action and authority; as military garrisons; as sites of ritual power; and as places of refuge and collective security in troubled times. This collection reveals the depth of urbanization in African history.