Week 6 Discussion

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Apr 3, 2024

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Week 6 Discussion Discuss the methodological challenges of studying Ancient and Medieval African History. How are commonly used terms potentially problematic in studying Africa? Of the limited accessibility of written sources, scholars have methodological challenges in studying ancient African history. Before 1800 CE, much of African society's self-recorded histories were preserved orally. Specifically, ancient African history was disregarded due to its limited written records, which caused the translation of the society's rich culture and dense history to be overlooked (African History). Western civilizations viewed that because African history was preserved orally, they were uncivilized because it indicates that a civilized society is written (Crash Course). Additionally, the professionalization of the study from European and American societies created practices in which they wrote on ancient African history from a self-serving and oppressive point of view, which built assumptions of ancient African history, abilities, society, influence, and resources (Gibrill). The views included offensive and discriminatory ideas and terms to portray the ancient African society by portraying them as primitive and obsolete. Europeans wrote that ancient African history did not begin until their discovery, referring to the dark continent . In particular, there was a belief that ancient Africa was deprived of culture and complex history before the European arrived. Consequently, western methodologies supported European ideas from the dependence on printed resources. Further, European scholars claimed that ancient African buildings resulted from an outsider. They assumed that Persian and Arab traders developed the ancient African cities because they believed ancient Africans to be too naïve (Crash Course). For instance, African city advancements and the building of complex public structures were credited to foreign aid, like the people of Yemen contributed to the construction of the Axum trading empire (African History). However, this philosophical assumption was contradicted, and historians discovered that significant ancient African cities were developed before Islam's arrival.
On the other hand, commonly used terms like tribe are problematic for examining ancient Africa. Ancient Africans were depicted as inferior and second-class to western societies. Mainly the European perception that ancient African societies were uncivilized and barbaric, which only fit their narrative for colonization and enslaved person trade (African History). Such ideas do not accurately represent African societies and create stereotypes that separate the region from the modern world (Basedau). Moreover, from the discriminative philosophies, terms like Stateless society and bushman have also been problematic in studying ancient Africa. European scholars disregarded the innovation of ancient African states or tended to compare African operating government structures to the ideal European state society of democracies (Basedau). Thus, the obstinate European perception of ancient Africa being a stateless society ignores the modernization and originality African states established, although autonomously ruled, and sets the tone of ancient Africa being second-class to European state organizations. In addition, bushman and pygmies are terms derogatory and disparaging to studying African history. Mainly, the term refers to the ancient society being insufficient in current socio- economics, cultural variables, and historical progress, as well as being apart from political affairs (Basedau). Reference List “African History to 1500,” University of Maryland Global Campus Learning Resource (u.d.), https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/719125/viewContent/26915713/View Basedau, Matthias. “Rethinking African Studies: Four Challenges and the Case for Comparative African Studies.” SAGE Journals 55, no. 2 (2022). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0002039720945328 . Crash Course. “Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa: Crash Course World History #16,” YouTube (2012, May 10), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvnU0v6hcUo
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