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Indlæser... African Europeans: An Untold Historyaf Olivette Otele
Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. What was the experience of Africans who became European? Such is not normally presented as part of the historical narrative of Europe. The author begins with Roman times and some information known regarding Africans in Europe, yet the majority of the work covers the period since the Renaissance. The story is very much tied with colonialism: the Portuguese experience, those of mixed European and African heritage in Guinea unable to fit in either in Europe or in Africa; the fate of Cameroonians acculturated to Germany after Germany lost its Empire; conditions for Africans in Sweden, Denmark, and the surprising celebration of Pushkin's African heritage in Russia. Much is made of the modern experience of Europeans of African descent, both of those who came to Europe in the colonial days and those who have more recently immigrated. The author gives a strong voice to those African Europeans who wish to be seen and valued in Europe as Europeans without experiencing discrimination or exoticization. A good work which highlights aspects of European history most often neglected, and one with which Europe should grapple. **--galley received as part of early review program ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Hæderspriser
"A dazzling history of Africans in Europe, revealing their unacknowledged role in shaping the continent. Conventional wisdom holds that Africans are only a recent presence in Europe. But in African Europeans, renowned historian Olivette Otele debunks this and uncovers a long history of Europeans of African descent. From the third century, when the Egyptian Saint Maurice became the leader of a Roman legion, all the way up to the present, Otele explores encounters between those defined as "Africans" and those called "Europeans." She gives equal attention to the most prominent figures--like Alessandro de Medici, the first duke of Florence thought to have been born to a free African woman in a Roman village--and the untold stories--like the lives of dual-heritage families in Europe's coastal trading towns. African Europeans is a landmark celebration of this integral, vibrantly complex slice of European history, and will redefine the field for years to come."--Amazon. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)305.89604Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Groups of people Ethnic and national groups ; racism, multiculturalism Other Groups African Origin EuropeLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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But ultimately this book fell between two stools for me: not well-structured enough to be a strong academic text, nor narrative-driven enough to likely have much appeal for the general reader for whom it's clearly intended. For instance, there are large swathes of the book that feel like the literature review section of a dissertation. I'm absolutely fine with this being a work of synthesis rather than one grounded in original archival research—this kind of sweeping work covering a continent across millennia could hardly be written otherwise—and deeply respect Otélé's clear commitment to foregrounding the other scholars on whose work she draws, which is something that many writers of popular histories often do not do. But it does make for a dry read, particularly since Otélé at times I think assumes more familiarity with the work of these scholars, or the events they're discussing, than the average reader may have. Equally, many of the chapters seemed to lack much by way of internal structure, and whiplashed between topics/subjects.
I picked this up with an eye to assigning it at a textbook in a future course, but my reservations about structure/clarity of argument mean that I am unlikely to do so now. I will however definitely use it as a jumping off point for future reading and classroom inspiration—the triumph of African Europeans is undoubtedly in the richness and diversity of the history it portrays. ( )