The remarkable diversity of African societies is nothing less than history. The variety of languages spoken across the continent, the coexistence of multiple systems of political organization, types of economies, religious forms, technologies, and arts tell us that this diversity is the result of a plurality of historical trajectories which, over the millennia, have brought centralized kingdoms and pastoral peoples, urban societies and peasant communities—whether transhumant or caravan-based—to coexist. The African worlds are worth considering for their singularity—but also for everything they defy: the denial of historicity, evolutionary models of history—and for everything they invite: collaborative research, prudent knowledge, and optimism about discoveries yet to be made.
François-Xavier Fauvelle’s courses focus on specific societies and political formations of ancient Africa, such as Christian and Muslim Ethiopia, Ghana and Mali, and the Swahili city-states. The source material consists of texts produced within these societies or in the Arab world, the most recent archaeological data, and oral traditions.
The seminar led by François-Xavier Fauvelle takes the form of academic meetings, during which specialists from around the world present the current state of knowledge in a particular field.
