African Rivers

History, Utilities, and Knowledge
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-1-84701-440-5
Verlag: James Currey

Buch, Englisch, 414 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 784 g

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

Autoren/Hrsg.

Falola, Toyin

Angbah, Victor

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historiographie
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Geographie: Sachbuch, Reise
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Afrikanische Geschichte
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Limnologie (Süßwasser)
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften, Biologie: Sachbuch, Naturführer
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historische Geographie, Landkarten & Atlanten
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Humangeographie
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Entwicklungsstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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

Über Autor(innen)

Angbah, Victor
VICTOR ANGBAH is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Falola, Toyin
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.