Africa

In the Sudan in 1881 an obscure son of a carpenter pronounced himself the ‘Mahdi’ or ‘Guided One of the Prophet’, the long-expected Messiah of the Islamic faith… More

Known as the greatest traveler of premodern times, Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta was born in Morocco in 1304 and educated in Islamic law. At the age of twenty-one, he left home to make … More

Ancient Egypt may have been, to paraphrase Herodotus, "the gift of the Nile," but Egypt's civilization was no less the product of her god incarnate, the pharaoh. These twin themes-… More

This book explores Africa's involvement in the Atlantic world from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. It focuses especially on the causes and consequences of the slave… More

In this provocative and compelling examination of the deep politics of war, Carolyn Nordstrom takes us from the immediacy of war-zone survival, through the offices of power brokers… More

Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita was a young Kongolese woman who in 1704 claimed to be possessed by St. Anthony, argued that Jesus was a Kongolese, criticized Italian Capuchin missionaries … More

In this powerful and controversial book, distinguished African-American political leader and thinker Randall Robinson argues for the restoration of the rich history that slavery an… More

Here, for everyone intrigued by the ancient land of the pyramids, is a comprehensive record of civilization along the Nile and an in-depth account of Egyptian archaeology from its … More

Pathologies of Power uses harrowing stories of life-and death-in extreme situations to interrogate our understanding of human rights. Paul Farmer, a physician and anthropologist wi… More