African Economic History

Abstract African economic history has experienced a revival during the 21 st century through the globalisation of economic history as a field and a growing interest in how history has shaped current economic inequalities. This survey reviews the development of the field since its initial foundations, and illustrates the ways in which more recent work has diverged in its methods and approaches. It focuses on three main themes: the effort to bring Africa into global economic history through the construction of comparative datasets and the application of methods derived from the study of other regions; the role of African institutions in shaping these patterns of economic development; and looking beyond the state to religion, culture and entrepreneurship. The survey concludes by identifying some gaps and ideas for future research.