Review of 'The Individual in African History: The Importance of Biography in African Historical Studies'

Diana Wylie, Professor of History at Boston University, wrote a review of 'The Individual in African History: The Importance of Biography in African Historical Studies' - volume 17 in the African Dynamics series and edited by ASCL senior researcher Klaas van Walraven - for H-Net.

'The Individual in African History effectively draws attention to three overlapping points of tension in the writing of history', Prof. Wylie writes: 'between a complex and a reductive story, between empathy and analysis, and between meta- and micro-narratives. These essays suggest that the craft of biography, done well, can resolve each one in favor of an engaging and accurate rendering of the African past.'

[...]

'The task of hoisting the complex life of a particular individual onto the level of social significance is indeed difficult, but it lies at the heart of the problem of biography. It is worth doing, as the authors persuasively argue, if we are to make African history familiar and palpable to a wide audience', Prof. Wylie concludes.

Read the full review.