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Both colonial and early nationalist writers of African history tried to minimize the importance of the slave trade in the study of Africa's past and present. Increasingly, however, scholars have recognized the significance of the institution for properly understanding African history.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and the Diaspora in African History is the first reference work of its kind to explore this history: a comprehensive resource that aims to cover the development, practice, and legacy of the institution of slavery in Africa and the Diaspora, while utilizing the rapidly evolving scholarship in archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, and economics.
About the author
Martin Klein's research has focused on slavery and the slave trade in French West Africa for 50 years, as well as colonial rule and Islam. His most important book is
Slavery and Colonial Rule in French West Africa (Cambridge 1998), which was given an honorable mention in the competition for the Herskovits prize of the African Studies Association. He also wrote the
Historical Dictionary of Slavery and Abolition (2d edition. Lanham, MD 2014). He has edited
Breaking the Chains: Slavery, Bondage and Emancipation in Modern Africa and Asia (Madison, WI 1993),
Women and Slavery in Africa (with Clare Robertson, Madison, WI 1983) and
Slavery and Colonial Rule in Africa (with Suzanne Miers, London, 1998). He has more recently co-edited with Alice Bellagamba and Sandra E. Greene
African Voices on Slavery and the Slave Trade (2 vols., Cambridge, 2013 and 2016),
The Bitter Legacy: African Slavery Past and Present (Princeton NJ, 2013) and
African Slaves, African Masters: Politics, Memories, Social Life (Trenton, NJ, 2017). Klein has written more than 60 scholarly articles and book chapters, countless book reviews and articles in reference books. He has served as President of the African Studies Association (USA) and the Canadian Association of African Studies and was a recipient of the ASA's Distinguished Africanist Award.
