Table of Contents

1. The comparative history of honour; Part I. Hero and Householder: 2. Men on horseback; 3. Honour and Islam; 4. Christian Ethiopia; 5. Honour, rank, and warfare among the Yoruba; 6. Honour and the state in West and Central Africa; 7. Honour without the state; 8. The honour of the slave; 9. Praise and slander in southern Africa; 10. Ekitiibwa and martyrdom; Part II. Fragmentation and Mutation: 11. The deaths of heroes; 12. Honour in defeat; 13. The honour of the mercenary; 14. Respectability; 15. Honour and gender; 16. Urbanisation and masculinity; 17. Honour, race, and nation; 18. Political honour; 19. To live in dignity; 20. Concluding questions.

Promotional Information

This is the first published account of the role of honour in African history.

About the Author

John Iliffe is Professor of African History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St John s College. He is the author of several book on Africa, including The African Poor: A History (Cambridge, 1987) and Africans: The History of a Continent (Cambridge, 1995). The African Poor was awarded the Herskovits Prize of the African Studies Association of the United States.

Reviews

'Iliffe himself concludes with the suggestion that, if his book serves to raise questions, 'it will have served its purpose', it has certainly done so for this reader.' Journal of African History 'This book is the culmination of decades of interest in how Africans understood their world, an interest first aroused by Iliffe's heretofore largely unpublished research into late 19th century Buganda. ... a supremely researched, richly illustrated, and incisively argued book.' The Round Table 'This book makes a powerful argument and raises important questions.' H-Africa 'Iliffe helps us see the politics of West African labour unions, Mau Mau detainees, and other entrepreneurs in a wider frame.' Historical Journal 'This is a monumental work, covering sub-Saharan Africa in its scope and revealing a depth of understanding and a width of reading and research which can be admired. ... John Iliffe's book is both landmark and a model.' Oliver Furley, Coventry University