Roger Pearse

There isn't any African history, as far as I know. Until the arrival of the white man, sub-saharan Africa -- which is what we are talking about -- was pre-historic and living in the iron age.

Further north, the Ethiopians, I think, managed to avoid being Africans at all until Mengistu. I remember reading that indeed they did not consider themselves part of black Africa. They just happened to be dark-skinned. Nubian is extinct as a written language (it was written in Coptic characters, I think).

Likewise Moslem-conquered areas in West Africa -- the Fulani emirates and the like -- presumably have some written stuff and don't qualify either.

I did once get an email from a kind but confused person who supposed that Tertullian was black because he was an African, in Roman parlance. I asked him gently whether he supposed that the Greeks of Asia were Chinese, on the same logic.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Toto

This is about Egypt. Why do you think we are talking about sub-Saharan Africa?

Roger Pearse

Probably owing to a reprehensible habit of actually reading the title of the thread and the OP...

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Toto

Egypt is in Africa.

The American Afrocentric movement idolizes Ancient Egypt as the source of all wisdom. There's probably a lot of confusion involved. Don't make it worse.

Chris Weimer

Egypt may be continentally in Africa, but it's not part of "Africa" under what is usually labeled "Africa" in things like "African Studies", since that type of Africa is a modern construction. Those who idolize Egypt as "African" is generally unaware that the cultures aren't that similar, aren't that related, and had nothing to do with the slave trade.

Toto

In American Universities, African Studies often concentrates on sub-Sahara Africa. But when you just say "African history", especially in the context of Biblical history, you probably are including Egypt - for instance, BBC story of Africa includes Egypt.

You can also check that site for counters to Roger Pearse's idea that Africa didn't have any history before Europeans arrived.

Roger Pearse

Those who wish to believe such stories are certainly welcome to do so.

As for Egypt being part of Africa -- rather than part of the Middle East -- well, it tells me a great deal about Americans. (Not much about Egypt, tho).

All the best,

Roger Pearse

premjan

Egypt was associated with Sudan in the age of the pharaohs. Since the spread of Islam in North Africa, it is culturally part of MENA.

gstafleu

Then the good news here may be that I'm not an American . According to the Wikipedia page on Africa, the continent ends at the Suez Canal/Red Sea. So Egypt is in both Asia (Sinai) and Africa. And Egypt is also part of the Middle East, which spans parts of both Asia and Africa. So it depends if you are talking geographically or culturally. And when you're talking culturally you always run the risk of having to state when. With geography you don't, unless your time scale is Wegnerian.

Gerard Stafleu

Soul Invictus

I don't see what that has to do with anything though. Remember that Africa is made up of a host of countries besides Egypt.

I don't think this is true. Many people are well aware of the fact that Africa has a myriad of cultures besides Egypt.