Escritos Críticos

Africa before European Conquest

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por

majfud
en

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This is just a simplified guide. The questions are not central to the discussion in this class, but rather basic starting points.

Prof. Jorge Majfud

A discussion on Modern racism and slavery
Political systems, trade networks, empires, and state formation (Ethiopia, Asante, Sokoto, Zulu, Buganda)

  1. When and where did the first Modern Humans appear on the planet?
  2. How did geography, trade, and political organization contribute to the rise and prosperity of African civilizations before European colonization?
  3. Why did European maritime expansion begin in the fifteenth century, and how did it transform the political and economic history of Africa?
  4. Who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711 CE, and what does the composition of that army reveal about the diversity of the medieval Islamic world?
  5. How did European colonialism, the Atlantic slave trade, and modern racial theories reshape perceptions of Africa and contribute to the development of modern racism?

Table of contents

¿ What is Africa?

Name

The name Africa was given by the ancient Roman Empire.

The Afri Tribe: The most widely accepted theory is that Afri referred to a prominent Berber tribe (ancestors of the indigenous North African peoples) who lived near the ancient city of Carthage.

The Phoenician Root (‘afar): Some historians trace the word to the Phoenician language, where the root ‘afar translates to «dust» or «earth.»

Early conditions

Global Black Soil Distribution Map. What makes black soil—or chernozem, as geologists call it—so remarkable is that it’s essentially a time capsule of ancient grasslands. Over thousands of years, generations of deep-rooted grasses died and decomposed in temperate plains, pumping massive amounts of organic matter into the earth. Because these regions experience cold winters and only moderate rain, the organic stuff didn’t wash away or break down too fast; instead, it baked into the mineral-rich sediment. The result is this incredibly deep, dark, nutrient-dense topsoil. Because it requires such a precise cocktail of climate, plants, and time, you can’t find it just anywhere. It’s concentrated in a few major pockets of the globe—specifically the Eurasian Steppe, the North American Prairies, and the South American Pampas. It’s no coincidence that these exact zones ended up becoming the great breadbaskets of the modern world.
Quick intro

European Sea Expansion

Due to a lack of natural resources, European societies developed a culture of war and conquest: Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Vikings, explorers (colonizers), etc.

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, West Africa began to develop (5th to 10th centuries). In Ghana, gold and salt were worth the same. Through commerce with the new Islamic Empire, West Africa prospered. Mali became the first Islamic empire in West Africa. Mansa Musa: pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.

1453: The fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans forced Europeans to explore other commercial routes.

1492: Christopher Columbus.

1499: Vasco da Gama circumnavigated Africa.

1461–1591: The Portuguese established a commercial stronghold in Guinea. The end of 1,000 years of independence and prosperity.

West Africa became a region similar to feudal Europe, with multiple kingdoms fighting one another. This marked the beginning of the European slave trade. Africans did not consider themselves «Africans,» just as Europeans did not think of themselves as «Europeans» for many centuries.

Political systems, trade networks, empires, and state formation (Ethiopia, Asante, Sokoto, Zulu, Buganda).

The most developed region of Africa before colonization: West Africa.

Origin of the slave trade after the arrival of the Portuguese.

Hispania, 711

The Muslim forces that conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 CE came from North Africa.

Berbers (Amazigh) formed the majority of the army. The Berbers were the indigenous peoples of North Africa (today’s Morocco, Algeria, and parts of Tunisia and Libya). Many had recently converted to Islam.

Arabs were a smaller but politically dominant group, originating mainly from the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern parts of the Middle East. They provided much of the military and administrative leadership.

Sub-Saharan Africans: Some were present in later periods of Muslim rule in al-Andalus, particularly as soldiers, slaves, freedmen, and officials, but they were not a major component of the initial conquering army.

A discussion of modern racism and slavery. Eurocentric and capitalist slavery. Theories and perceptions of White racial superiority.

Documents

African Civilizations (PBS Documentary)

Benin Empire:

Intro to Walter Rodney

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