Helmut Bley conceives of African history as an agrarian and social history. He presents the major regions in their historical context and in their dynamics since 1800. He embeds the stories of individual people, villages, towns, and ethnicities within his portrayal. Moreover, he analyzes the power relations before, during, and after colonial rule, as well as the basic structures of the African economy.

Helmut Bley, Leibniz University, Hanover, Germany.