Short Abstract

What is a historical source for African history? The panel aims to rethink written, oral, performative and audio-visual sources as culturally situated prisms through which African pasts are articulated, transmitted and represented, questioning established categories of history and historical sources

Long Abstract

An essentialist and allochronic representation of Africa as a continent without and outside history became widespread from the 19th century onwards. Although this approach shaped pervasive images of Africa, the human and social sciences have made efforts to challenge and deconstruct it. Research on historical sources relating to Africa has played a crucial role in this process. Growing interest in sources that not only speak about Africa but also give voice to African perspectives has informed projects such as the UAI International Project 22, Fontes Historiae Africanae.

The evocative image of “African Prisms” offers an opportunity to rethink historical sources. A source is never neutral: it embodies the cultural and social universe in which it was produced. It is itself a prism through which a multifaceted reality can be understood, expressing direct and indirect, explicit and implicit meanings and representations.

In this sense, what can be considered a historical source on Africa? The question may appear simple, but conceals epistemological challenges, particularly when applied to Africa. What does “history” mean in different African societies? How do African societies articulate, transmit and represent the history? How do they speak through the languages and forms of historical knowledge and historical sources? Is the European concept of history adequate to account for African ways of understanding the past and representing the memory?

The panel welcomes studies and research outputs that rethink “African history” and “sources on Africa” through written, oral, performative, audio-visual and other forms of evidence, especially from historical and anthropological perspectives.

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