The Yoruba from Prehistory to the Present

The Yoruba are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, with significant populations in Nigeria, Benin and Togo, as well as a sizeable diasporic community around the world. By considering the art, religion, economics and political systems of the Yoruba, Aribidesi Usman and Toyin Falola chart the history of the Yoruba through the lens of the group's diverse and dynamic cultural and social practices. Using archaeological data, oral, and archival sources alongside rarely-discussed local histories Usman and Falola form a rich and detailed picture of the Yoruba from a period of early occupation and agriculture, the growth of complex societies and empires, the turbulent colonial period to the present day, constructing a comprehensive account of Yoruba history brought together in a single volume.

Author: Aribidesi Usman, Toyin Falola
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 07/04/2019
Pages: 514
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.85lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781107683945

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2020

About the Author
Usman, Aribidesi: - Aribidesi Usman is Associate Professor of Anthropology in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. He is co-editor of Movements, Borders, and Identities in Africa (2009) and the author of The Yoruba Frontier (2012).Falola, Toyin: - Toyin Falola is University Distinguished Teaching Professor and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin. A Yoruba chief, he has received numerous awards and twelve honorary doctorates. His most recent edited volumes include Yoruba Culture and Customs (2001), The Yoruba Diaspora in the Atlantic World (2005) and The Encyclopaedia of the Yoruba (2016).