Diasporas comprise an inescapable part of the human experience and few are more interesting and diverse than African diasporas. By providing a panoramic view across time and geographical space this collection of essays illustrates the inherent variability of African, European and Asian diasporic formation. Even when such communities share a common origin, diasporas behave like living organisms that respond sensitively to specific geographical location as well as particular social, political and economic circumstances. Migration constitutes an essential prerequisite for diasporic formation. Once established diasporas assume a life of their own and sometimes form secondary diasporas and their histories make a significant contribution to comparative societal studies.

Updated 2013 Edition of the Classic Reader by Robert O. Collins. This collection covers the major problems in the field, incorporating classic texts, the newest research, and recent controversies about the origins of African history and Africa's contributions to non-Western world history. Its themes comprise: Africa and Egypt African Trade and States Islam in Africa Women in African Societies Slavery in Africa.

Eritrea, the newest nation-state in Africa, gained independence from the Ethiopian empire after a prolonged and bitter conflict. Ruth Iyob provides a comprehensive analysis of the country's political history over the past three decades. She explains the origins of Eritrean nationalism, and charts the development of its various nationalist movements, assessing the programmes and capabilities of the parties contending for power. She also analyzes the regional and international context within which the battles for independence were fought.

Eritrea, the newest nation state in Africa, gained independence from the Ethiopian state after a prolonged and bitter conflict. This book is a comprehensive analysis of the country's political history over the past three decades. It examines the origins of Eritrean nationalism, and charts the development of its various nationalist movements, assessing the programmes and capabilities of the parties contending for power. It also analyses the regional and international context within which the battles for independence were fought.