why is it necessary to study ancient and medieval africa in this course

Why is it important to study ancient African history?

African history enables the student to develop a critical mind and appreciate the variety of human behavior and motives and understand politics, economics and society. In this respect, history in the African context can increase human tolerance and respect for differences in opinion.

Why was medieval Africa important?

Africa's treasures of gold, salt, slaves, and ivory had also become known, making the continent a target for more trading and wealth. Between 751 and 979 CE, some of the largest changes occurred. Literacy was being brought to the people by Islamic scholars, increasing education and the Islamic religion in North Africa.Jan 3, 2022

What is African Studies and its importance?

Consider the following benefits of an Africana Studies major or minor: Understand the World from an Africana-informed Perspective. Connect and Critique Various Forms of Inequality. Achieve Your Personal, Professional, and Academic Goals.Nov 18, 2016

Why might students of African history want to start by studying the history of Africa?

Starting with African history helps students come away with a fuller understanding of slavery and its complexities. Many texts used in schools do not meaningfully incorporate Africa, so if teachers want to bring in additional information, they will have to find it on their own.Feb 1, 2022

What are the greatest challenges to studying ancient and medieval African history?

All of the following are methodological challenges of studying Ancient and Medieval African History EXCEPT: African societies did not value history so they made no attempt to remember their pasts. Many 19th century European scholars had negative views of the continent; they perpetuated a prejudiced view of Africans.

Which was the important cultural and commercial Centres of medieval Africa?

The main commercial centers were its capitals Niani, Timbuktu, and Gao. Mansa Musa is the most remembered of the kings of Mali. During Musa's reign 1307–1337, Mali's boundaries were extended to their farthest limits.

What is the importance of African Studies to African students?

Africana Studies offers some of the most diverse coursework ranging from art history to philosophy. It mixes theory and practice so that students are not learning solely from listening, but doing. It forces students to be active in the communities around them in a way like no other coursework.

Why Africa is important?

Why Africa Matters The African continent is the world's second-largest, with the second-fastest growth rate after Asia. With 54 sovereign countries, four territories, and two de facto independent states with little international recognition, the continent has a current population of 1.3 billion.Jan 11, 2021

What is the study of African studies?

African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.).

What was an important aspect in African life?

These peculiar traits go on to include the people's language, dressing, music, work, arts, religion, dancing and so on. It also goes on to include a people's social norms, taboos and values.

What are the three main religions in Africa?

Section 8: Religion in African History. In this section we shall discuss the three main religions in Africa, which are African Traditional Religion, Christianity and Islam.

What is section 5 of the book?

The greatness of the kingdoms of Mali and Ghana is also discussed. Section Five: Trans ‐ Saharan trade: This section discusses the Trans‐Saharan Trade, which flourished greatly between the 8th and 16th centuries, connecting Mediterranean countries and sub–Saharan Africa via the Sahara desert.

Where is Chika Ezeanya Esiobu?

Dr. Chika Ezeanya Esiobu holds a Ph.D. in African Studies from Howard University in Washington D.C . Dr. Chika's intellectual work is centrally located within the conviction that Africa’s indigenous knowledge is key to the continent’s advancement.

What was the medieval era?

Lesson Summary. As the medieval era started around 500 CE, Rome's power in North Africa and Egypt was diminishing, while traders from the Middle East started bringing Islam to Africa. By 750 CE, Rome was gone, and new influences had started. Africa's treasures of gold, salt, slaves, and ivory had also become known, ...

How long did the medieval era last?

The medieval period in Africa spans over a thousand years, from 500 CE to 1500 CE. This lesson will cover these thousand years in small chunks, so there's a synopsis of each era for the African people.

What degree does Elisha have?

Elisha has Master's degree in Ancient Celtic History & Mythology, as well as a Bachelor's in Marketing. She has extensive experience creating & teaching curricula in college level education, history, English, business and marketing.

Where did the Swahili people live?

The Swahili people, the progeny of African and Middle Eastern peoples, were a coastal race in the area now known as Kenya and Tanzania. Between 980 and 1250 CE, Timbuktu was founded and became a large trade area in the Sahara desert. In the 1400s, Portugal and Spain came to Africa seeking slaves.

What was the religion of the Romans in Africa?

Around 500 CE, Africa was in the Early Middle Age of the medieval era. Egypt, which used to be the land of the pharaohs, is one of the largest provinces of Roman rule. For the Romans, Egypt offered large amounts of grain, salt, and gold, and an easily accessible port. Rome, which had invaded in 30 BCE, also brought the Christian religion to Africa. Africa had been a solely pagan continent until the Romans brought Christianity and exposed the local people to this new religion, creating new believers.

What does Swahili mean?

Swahili means ''the coast'' or ''coast island.''. The Swahili people were Muslim in belief, and their language became one of the most spoken languages in all of Africa. Timbuktu and its placement on the Saharan trade route had made this area one of the most prosperous in Africa.

What languages were used in the slave trade?

1251 to 1500 CE. By the end of the medieval period, Arabic and Swahili had become the dominant languages in Africa. Portugal and Spain had become heavily involved in the slave trade because they needed slaves for sugar cane fields.

Why is ancient history important?

While there are plenty of practical reasons to learn about ancient history, ancient history is also worth studying simply because it is interesting on its own . People can personally benefit from learning about the past in ways that have no impact in the form of workforce productivity or occupational success.

What is the problem with the College Board's decision to cut medieval history?

The problem is that the Renaissance is inherently and exclusively a western European event. While western Europe was experiencing the so-called “Dark Ages” (which were not really as spectacularly horrible as popular culture makes them seem, although that is a story for another time), the Byzantine Empire was thriving in the east and the Islamic world was experiencing its Golden Age.

Who said the past is never dead?

It explains the origins of the cultures, traditions, organizations, and problems that still exist today. The American modernist author William Faulkner famously wrote in his 1951 novel Requiem for a Nun: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”.

What is the attitude towards information?

The prevailing attitude towards information in today’s society is one of dogmatic pragmatism; it holds that knowledge does not matter unless it can actually be used to accomplish something. By this logic, it stands that any information that does not give students an edge in the workforce is useless and ought to be eliminated from the curriculum. This very prevalent and widely accepted attitude is perhaps best symbolized by the current administration’s recent proposal to merge the Department of Education and the Department of Labor into one department. The idea behind this proposal is apparently that the sole purpose of education is to prepare students for the workforce.

Who painted the plague of Athens?

ABOVE: The Plague of Athens (painted c. 1652–1654) by Michiel Sweerts, showing the artist’s imagining of the plague that devastated the city of Athens during the early years of the Peloponnesian War. Pandemics are a threat from antiquity that still remain a dangerous possibility even today.

Is modern civilization different from ancient civilization?

It is natural to assume that our modern civilization is so utterly different from anything that existed in the ancient world that we cannot possibly even compare the two. While there is some truth to this assumption, in that much has indeed changed since the days when most people still farmed for a living and the concept of “science” had not yet been invented, it is mostly inaccurate. Our technology, our society, and even our morals have all shifted drastically over the course the last 1,500 some years since the end of classical antiquity, but human nature has not. In order to apply lessons from the past to the present, our present circumstances do not need to be exactly identical to those in the past; they only need to be similar regarding the particular aspect for which they are being compared. To quote a famous saying often erroneously attributed to Mark Twain, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Who was Mansa Musa?

ABOVE: Mansa Musa, shown here in an illustration from the Catalan Atlas (c. 1375) was an extraordinarily wealthy and powerful emperor of the sub-Saharan Mali Empire, but if you cut medieval history, students will never learn about him.

When did Africa start using iron?

Africa also began independently utilising iron around 5,000 years ago. Advanced civilizations included the Axum Empire of present day Ethiopia and Eritrea, which served as one of four international powers including Persia, Rome and China.

Why is Africa so beautiful?

Because of our dismal education system, most people see Africa as a place that has always been ridden with poverty and suffering. It is actually a beautiful place with a rich culture and history. In fact, African merchants began trading with China and Arabia before Europe.

Is black history powerful?

It is more than a struggle for basic rights. Black history is powerful . It is inspirational, unique and beautiful. Let’s start treating African history as a social class just as important as European history; our children deserve the chance we never had to learn the truth about their past.

What is the medieval world?

The Medieval World as presented by modern scholarship is one that is exclusively and aggressively centered on western Europe, to the exclusion by fault or design of other parts of the world. Even the magnificent New Cambridge Medieval History that covers the period c. 1198-1300 sets out this vision clearly.

How long did the Middle Ages last?

To judge from the robust state of contemporary scholarship on the Middle Ages, a great deal of light is being shined on the events, peoples, and culture that took place, lived, and thrived in the period often broadly defined as spanning between 500-1500.

What is the Journal of Medieval History?

The Journal of Medieval History, another academic production of the very highest standards, restricts its view to “the history of Europe in the Middle Ages,” which means that there is a specific and explicit limit to the idea of what history means.