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African Islands: A Comparative Archaeology, written by Peter Mitchell

African Islands: A Comparative Archaeology, written by Peter Mitchell Peter Mitchell, African Islands: A Comparative Archaeology. London, Routledge, 2022, 1st Edition, 338 pp. $35.96. ISBN 978-1-03215-691-0 (paperback).As far as this reviewer is aware, this is the first book to treat the archaeology of the circum-African islands as a coherent whole. It does so expertly and comprehensively. Mitchell is one of the few scholars qualified to write a book of this type, moving as it does across enormous swathes of space and time and drawing on various traditions of archaeology and theoretical perspectives. The result is a major contribution to African archaeology, with relevance far beyond the continent.Chapter 1 presents an effective synopsis of the major concerns of comparative island archaeology, and how a synoptic study of the African islands may contribute, while Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the various islands and island groups that lie off the African coast. Sensibly, the remainder of the book is organized, not regionally, but thematically. Chapter 3 (‘Arriving’) considers the means, timing, and processes of initial human colonization of the African islands, while Chapter 4 (‘Altering’) delineates human impacts on insular ecosystems. Chapter 5 (‘Being’) addresses island histories prior to the period of European expansion, while Chapter 6 (‘Colonizing and Resisting’) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of African Archaeology Brill

African Islands: A Comparative Archaeology, written by Peter Mitchell

Leppard, Thomas P.
Journal of African Archaeology , Volume 20 (2): 2 – Oct 17, 2022
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1612-1651
eISSN
2191-5784
DOI
10.1163/21915784-20220201
Publisher site
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Abstract

Peter Mitchell, African Islands: A Comparative Archaeology. London, Routledge, 2022, 1st Edition, 338 pp. $35.96. ISBN 978-1-03215-691-0 (paperback).As far as this reviewer is aware, this is the first book to treat the archaeology of the circum-African islands as a coherent whole. It does so expertly and comprehensively. Mitchell is one of the few scholars qualified to write a book of this type, moving as it does across enormous swathes of space and time and drawing on various traditions of archaeology and theoretical perspectives. The result is a major contribution to African archaeology, with relevance far beyond the continent.Chapter 1 presents an effective synopsis of the major concerns of comparative island archaeology, and how a synoptic study of the African islands may contribute, while Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the various islands and island groups that lie off the African coast. Sensibly, the remainder of the book is organized, not regionally, but thematically. Chapter 3 (‘Arriving’) considers the means, timing, and processes of initial human colonization of the African islands, while Chapter 4 (‘Altering’) delineates human impacts on insular ecosystems. Chapter 5 (‘Being’) addresses island histories prior to the period of European expansion, while Chapter 6 (‘Colonizing and Resisting’)

Journal

Journal of African Archaeology – Brill

Published: Oct 17, 2022

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