Product details
Publisher : James Currey
Publication date : November 25, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 414 pages
ISBN-10 : 1847014402
ISBN-13 : 978-1847014405
Item Weight : 1.66 pounds
Dimensions : 6.14 x 2 x 9.21 inches
Table of Contents
Maps and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: EPISTEMOLOGIES
1. Studies on African Rivers
2. Historical Perspectives on African Rivers
3. Rivers as Sources of Knowledge
4. African Rivers and Culture
5. African Rivers and Spirituality
PART TWO: ECONOMIES
6. Rivers and Intra-African Trade
7. African Rivers and World Trade Systems
8. African Rivers and Agricultural Development
9. Rivers and Artisanal Mining
PART THREE: DEVELOPMENT
10. Rivers and Geopolitics in Africa
11. Rivers and Eco-Tourism in Africa
12. Rivers and Urbanization in Africa
13. Rivers and Environmental Change
14. Rivers and Industrialization in Africa
CONCLUSION: The Future of African Rivers
Appendix
Bibliography
Book Description
The Nile, Congo, Niger, Chad and Zambezi are names that evoke watershed periods in Africa's history. Yet, until now, scholars have paid little attention to Africa's riverine environment or how it has shaped the continent's civilizations.
African rivers are not only part of the ecosystem but also hold immense ecological, political, economic, and sociocultural significance. At the same time, there are numerous challenges to their exploitation and sustainability due to human activities, transboundary conflicts, and climate change.
This book explores major thematic preoccupations with the study of African rivers. The first section discusses the epistemology of rivers in Africa, reviewing historical perspectives and identifying associations of rivers with identity and spirituality in Africa. The second section turns to the economy of African rivers, namely their commercial and economic benefits, political perspectives and dimensions, ecological and hydrological impacts, as well as their impacts on agricultural management and food security in the continent. In the third section, challenges associated with the exploitation, management, and sustainability of African rivers are discussed including geopolitics, dam construction, eco-tourism, transboundary disputes, and water scarcity. Beyond merely pointing out these challenges, however, the authors also propose solutions for the future of sustainable river resources in Africa. Ultimately, the book aims to promote knowledge of African rivers to help governments, corporations, and communities define and address their future needs
About the Authors
TOYIN FALOLA is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History and Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, University of Texas, Austin, TX. He is the series editor of the University of Rochester Press' series Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora.
VICTOR ANGBAH is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.
