19th century states - West and North Africa Flashcards
(14 cards)
what was West africa like before colonialism?
made up of hundreds of small, complex kingdoms with no formal government
how was identity and ethnicity percieved?
casually - it was fluid and people often switched ethnicity
what was the relationship between people and land?
people was more important than land controlled - more people = more power (applies to all of pre colonial Africa)
how was slavery run within West Africa?
internally - africans enslaved other africans
despite people being more powerful than land, why did African’s continue to sell slaves to Europeans?
trade - Africans now had access to previously inaccessible raw materials such as guns
how did the collapse of the transatlantic slave trade impact African states?
selling slaves became illigitimate - Africans were forced to find new trade methods
what is a matrilineal society, and which empire was this common?
where women held far more power than men - Asante empire
which religion was prevelant in West and North Africa?
Islam
which Islamic empire in modern day Nigeria was viewed as the most powerful pre colonial?
Sokoto Caliphate
how was slavery treated in Sokoto Caliphate?
uniquely - women were preferred to men due to producing children and slaves had to be non Muslim
how were slaves treated within the Sokoto Caliphate?
equally - slaves were incorperated into the state
which empire expanded into North Africa, increasing Islamic influence?
the Ottoman empire
who revolted in modern day Sudan, against Egyptian control?
Mohammed Ahmad
what is willis and miers argument?
that slavery was fluid in many eastern african societies such as in Giryama where slaves were incorperated into households of kinship
