The horrific tragedies of Central Africa in the 1990s riveted the attention of the world. But these crises did not occur in a historical vacuum. By peering through the mists of the past, the case studies presented inThe Land Beyond the Mistsillustrate the significant advances to have taken place since decolonization in our understanding of the pre-colonial histories of Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern Congo.
Based on both oral and written sources, these essays are important both for their methods—viewing history from the perspective of local actors—and for their conclusions, which seriously challenge colonial myths about the area.
The horrific tragedies of Central Africa in the 1990s riveted the attention of the world. But these crises did not occur in a historical vacuum.
“This collection is a fitting survey of a career dedicated to understanding the history of a place that came to dominate the world’s attention for a short period and the drifted back under the radar.The Land Beyond the Mistsshowcases some of the most innovative work in the field of African History in essays that explore the history of Rwanda, most importantly is western marches, and other pre-twentieth states of the Great Lakes region.”—Gregory Maddox, author ofCustodians of the LandandIn Search of a Nation
“The Land beyond the Mistsis far more than a ‘must read’ for everyone interested in the history of Central Africa. It powerfully demonstrates the achievements of Africanist historiography over the last four decades and represents historical work at its best: empirically based, methodologically sophisticated, locally informed, broadly inclusive.”—African Studies Review
“The Land Beyond the Mistsserves as a fitting testament to a distinguished career of scholarship devoted to unearthing overlooked perspectives into the deep l“x
![The Land beyond the Mists: Essays on Identity and Authority in Precolonial Congo and Rwanda [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/0/0/7/2_6661605.jpg "The Land beyond the Mists: Essays on Identity and Authority in Precolonial Congo and Rwanda [Hardcover]")