African economic history

Leigh A. Gardner

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: African economic history has experienced a revival during the 21st 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.

JEL-codes: N01 N17 N37 N47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-10-26
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-his
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Published in Jahrbuch Für Wirtschaftsgeschichte / Economic History Yearbook, 26, October, 2026, 67(2), pp. 585-608. ISSN: 0075-2800

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:141699

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