Pioneer, Patriot, and Patriarch: Samuel Johnson and the Yoruba People
edited by Toyin Falola
As this century draws to a close, Samuel Johnson’s The History of the Yoruba from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate, completed in 1897 and published in 1921, remains the most read book on the Yoruba-speaking people. Although Johnson’s History has been cited more than any other book on the Yoruba, no sustained effort has been made to subject the text to any full-length critique, assess its impact on Yoruba historiography, and pay adequate tribute to the author. This volume focuses on how to assess this great work and other aspects of the author’s life history such as the perspectives that influenced his scholarship, the role of his brother in the revision of the book, and the use to which the book has been put by subsequent authors.
African Historiography: Essays in Honour of Jacob Ade Ajayi
edited by Toyin Falola
This major work is the most current examination of the approaches adopted in the writing of African history since the nineteenth century. The volume highlights the contributions of academic and non-academic narrators and scholars. The sixteen essays examine the core values at the root of most of the contemporary works on oral traditions, Yoruba and West African studies, and missionary historiography. The final essays consider recent developments and possible future trends in African studies.
