The Journal of African History · 2000 · 59 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesArea StudiesHistoryAfrican HistoryAfrican StudiesHistoriographyAfrican Environmental HistoryCentral African HistoryColonial AfricaColonialismEnvironmental History Of AfricaHistoriography Of AfricaTwentieth-century HistoriographyUganda History
The histories of pre-colonial states in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa have engaged scholars for more than a century. First encountered by Europeans in the 1860s during the search for the source of the Nile, these states and their rulers inspired both admiration and frustration in their visitors. On the one hand, explorers were impressed by the power of the rulers and the complexities of their bureaucracies, but on the other, they were annoyed by the apparent vacillation of the monarchs in responding to their demands. From the historian's perspective, these initial encounters soon led to questions about the origins and longevity of these states. Stories of origins were encapsulated in myths and legends that missionaries began to record around the turn of the twentieth century, while efforts to elicit lists of kings who had ruled each state introduced African leaders to European-style historiography.