Samantha Kelly, Ph.D (1998, Northwestern University) is Professor of History at Rutgers University. She is a specialist of medieval Italian history and of Ethiopian-European relations to the mid-sixteenth century.
"Here we are well served by Samantha Kelly's Companion to Medieval
Ethiopia and Eritrea. Each chapter conveys a sense of discovery. As
Kelly reminds us, we are dealing with a field marked by "the
continual expansion of the available source base" due to the
ongoing digitalization of Ethiopic manuscripts in Ethiopia itself
and in libraries throughout the world. Yet perhaps the most
exciting contribution of the Companion is a new view of Ethiopia
itself. Christian Ethiopia has tended to be treated as an isolated
mountain hideaway where time stood still; Edward Gibbon, at his
most sonorous and most wrongheaded, wrote, "Encompassed on all
sides by the enemies of their religion, the Aethiopians slept near
a thousand years, forgetful of the world, by whom they were
forgotten". The reverse was true. Medieval Ethiopia (which includes
much of modern Eritrea) was a frontier society, penetrated in all
directions by routes that led from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean
deep into Equatorial Africa. This reenvisioning of medieval
Ethiopia is, perhaps, the most challenging aspect of the Companion.
In the words of one contributor of Kelly's volume, "Let us hope
that the image of an archaic, never evolving and isolated country
is no longer acceptable". "The Glories of Aksum", by Peter Brown,
in The New York Review of Books, October 2021, accessible here.
Winner of the 2021 African Studies Review Prize for the Best
Africa-focused Anthology or Edited Collection. The awarding
committee made the following statement, accessible here:
"The ASR Prize for the Best Africa-Focused Anthology or Edited
Collection recognizes editors and contributors to an anthology of
original scholarship, cohesive in structure and interdisciplinary
in nature, that advances African studies in new theoretical and/or
methodological directions. The award recognizes the editor(s) and
also the contributors as a whole. In making its selection, the
prize committee pays particular attention to significance,
originality, and quality of writing, and the anthology’s
contribution to advancing debates in African studies. [...] This
stellar edited volume makes available recent scholarship on the
history of Medieval Ethiopia and Eritrea. Comprehensive in its
scope, the sixteen chapters by the international scholars
Alessandro Bausi, Claire Bosc-Tiessé, Antonella Brita, Amélie
Chekroun, Marie-Laure Derat, Deresse Ayenachew, François-Xavier
Fauvelle, Emmanuel Fritsch, Alessandro Gori, Habtemichael Kidane,
Margaux Herman, Bertrand Hirsch, Samantha Kelly, Gianfrancesco
Lusini, Denis Nosnitsin, and Anaïs Wion bring to light various
dimensions of the history and culture of this region. The chapters
explore various dimensions of the history of the Ethiopian-Eritrean
region from the seventh to the sixteenth century, including
Christianity, Islam, and local religions, women, trade, literature,
and visual culture. In addition to providing an insightful panorama
of the religious and cultural contexts in the area, the diverse
authors are very successful in articulating different textual and
visual sources while employing several different methodological
approaches. Innovative and based on extensive research, this is a
unique edited volume that showcases the rich connections between
the region of Ethiopia-Eritrea, the African continent, and the rest
of the globe. This magisterial edited book is an important
contribution to African Studies, which will be useful for scholars
and students interested in the history of Africa, Ethiopia, and
Eritrea."
"Ce volume propose un remarquable état des lieux de la recherche
sur l’histoire de l’Éthiopie médiévale, c’est-à-dire de la période
allant de la fin du royaume d’Axoum (VIIe siècle) jusqu’à celui de
Gondar (XVIIe siècle). Il couvre plus parti culièrement
le temps des dynasties Zagwe (à partir de 1270) et salomonide, une
période de relative stabilité, sans cesse renégociée, et de
prospérité durant laquelle furent façonnés des traits du pays et de
son Église. [...] Complété par 5 cartes et 25 illustrations la
plupart en couleurs, dans le texte (surtout pour les manuscrits et
les arts visuels), une impressionnante bibliographie (82 pages !)
et un bon index (noms, thèmes), ce volume n’en constitue pas moins
un remarquable instrument de travail." ISTINA LXV (2020)
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
