African Europeans: An Untold History
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- Create Date：2021-05-26 18:31:24
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Olivette Otélé
- ISBN：1541619676
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Summary
A dazzling history of Africans in Europe， revealing their unacknowledged role in shaping the continent
Conventional wisdom holds that Africans are only a recent presence in Europe。 But in African Europeans， renowned historian Olivette Otele debunks this and uncovers a long history of Europeans of African descent。 From the third century， when the Egyptian Saint Maurice became the leader of a Roman legion， all the way up to the present， Otele explores encounters between those defined as "Africans" and those called "Europeans。" She gives equal attention to the most prominent figures -- like Alessandro de Medici， the first duke of Florence thought to have been born to a free African woman in a Roman village -- and the untold stories -- like the lives of dual-heritage families in Europe's coastal trading towns。
African Europeans is a landmark celebration of this integral， vibrantly complex slice of European history， and will redefine the field for years to come。
Conventional wisdom holds that Africans are only a recent presence in Europe。 But in African Europeans， renowned historian Olivette Otele debunks this and uncovers a long history of Europeans of African descent。 From the third century， when the Egyptian Saint Maurice became the leader of a Roman legion， all the way up to the present， Otele explores encounters between those defined as "Africans" and those called "Europeans。" She gives equal attention to the most prominent figures -- like Alessandro de Medici， the first duke of Florence thought to have been born to a free African woman in a Roman village -- and the untold stories -- like the lives of dual-heritage families in Europe's coastal trading towns。
African Europeans is a landmark celebration of this integral， vibrantly complex slice of European history， and will redefine the field for years to come。
Reviews
Iñaki Tofiño
，
Brilliant piece of scholarship which describes the lives and heritage of Afroeuropeans in different contexts: France， Great Britain， Italy， Russia or Spain， among others; their forefathers， their current struggles， they way they organize to survive in a hostile environment。。。 Interesting but also useful to counteract the hatred discourse which presents an idealized image of an all-white Europe。
Kara Babcock
，
As the description of this book suggests， many of us have an inaccurate understanding of the history of Black people’s presence in Europe。 So I wanted to correct my understanding。 It’s important for us to learn the history of the slave trade， of course。 But if we reduce Black histories merely to slavery， we are engaging in yet another type of colonial violence。 Olivette Otélé aims to highlight the presence of African Europeans throughout history。 She complicates and problematizes both our unders As the description of this book suggests， many of us have an inaccurate understanding of the history of Black people’s presence in Europe。 So I wanted to correct my understanding。 It’s important for us to learn the history of the slave trade， of course。 But if we reduce Black histories merely to slavery， we are engaging in yet another type of colonial violence。 Olivette Otélé aims to highlight the presence of African Europeans throughout history。 She complicates and problematizes both our understanding of the slave trade as well as our conceptions about what it meant to be a “free” Black person in Europe during various centuries。 African Europeans is informative and interesting， although it is also highly academic and difficult to read。 Thanks to Perseus Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC！I’m not going to attempt to summarize this book。 All I will say is that I learned a lot from it。 Some of the highlights include the first Medici Duke of Florence， Alessandro， and how his skin colour affected his rule。 Another highlight would be the ways that various European countries attempted to restrict or require extensive documentation from people of colour。 Throughout this book， Otélé demonstrates how European countries， such as France， the Netherlands， and Sweden， have yet to really reckon with their role in the slave trade。 Much is made of celebrating when these countries abolished slavery。 Little discussion happens around the experiences of Black people in these countries around or even after that time。I wish I could say I enjoyed the book， but that would be a stretch。 There are academic books， and then there are academic books， and then there are academic books。 Like， African Europeans is full of research and references to other scholars。 If that’s what you’re looking for—if you are studying this subject， then you will find this book useful。 Nor do I want to suggest that every book should be comprehensible to a lay reader。 But as someone who has a couple of university degrees and has been around the academic block a couple of times， I still found large parts of this book a slog to read。 It largely comes down to how Otélé has organized the information。 The transitions are often abrupt， and at times I found it difficult to understand the overall topic of each chapter。So when I say that I learned a lot from this book， I also want to say that I think I could have learned more if the writing style had worked better for me。 I’m not sure how much I will retain that I learned。 Therefore， unfortunately， as much as I would love to recommend this book widely to my friends， I’m not sure I can do that。 African Europeans is informative but no compelling， well-researched but not well-organized， important but perhaps in need of more work to make its information accessible to those of us who most need to read it。Originally posted on Kara。Reviews， where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter。 。。。more
Littlebookterror
，
This book is exactly what you expect from the title and it's great。Otélé explores in great detail the relations between African and European countries over centuries and how different our current views on race are when it comes to our history。 From different countries to different social statuses， we get an array of opinions supported by quotes and footnotes divided into several chapters to paint a full picture。Through known historical figures， we get an insight into what their life must have be This book is exactly what you expect from the title and it's great。Otélé explores in great detail the relations between African and European countries over centuries and how different our current views on race are when it comes to our history。 From different countries to different social statuses， we get an array of opinions supported by quotes and footnotes divided into several chapters to paint a full picture。Through known historical figures， we get an insight into what their life must have been like and Otélé explains the complicated and contradicting views people had during those times。 The political and economic situations are well explained and strengthen her narrative as she truly shatters the notion that "black people did not in Europe"。I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Signed， Iza
，
Well， this one's for them scholars and Academia。 But a must read for everyone who wishes to broaden their knowledge of Black Europeans。 Well， this one's for them scholars and Academia。 But a must read for everyone who wishes to broaden their knowledge of Black Europeans。 。。。more
Michelle Louise
，
African Europeans is a very in depth look at people of African Descent living， working， and thriving in Europe prior to the modern age。 Written by the renowned historian Olivette Otele， the book debunks many of the modern misconceptions about Africa， African Europeans， and Europe itself。 This is an incredibly complex and dense book that is filled with citations from other scholars as well as primary resources。 This is not a book for the average reader。 Despite having a background in history incl African Europeans is a very in depth look at people of African Descent living， working， and thriving in Europe prior to the modern age。 Written by the renowned historian Olivette Otele， the book debunks many of the modern misconceptions about Africa， African Europeans， and Europe itself。 This is an incredibly complex and dense book that is filled with citations from other scholars as well as primary resources。 This is not a book for the average reader。 Despite having a background in history including post-graduate work， I found this book difficult to read。 The language was incredibly scholarly and used terminology without providing context or definition。 The author seemed to expect the reader to already have a foundation in history and historical thought and theory and so went straight into heavy stuff。 It can be a bit much to take in。That said， it's super well researched。 And it's clear that the author knows her stuff。 There's tons of citations， footnotes， and this is a great resource for the budding historian， history major， or post grad。 In a way， this book read much like a text book which is both a positive and a negative depending on your perspective。 I also really appreciated how the author related back a lot of the historical information to the modern day。 It's a good book。 A complex book。 But it's going to be tough for the average reader to get into it。 And it's definitely not bedtime reading。 ^_^ That said， it's a book that should be in your library and it should be a go to resource for people interested in being true to the reality of Europe and not just the whitewashed version of it that many of us are often taught。Four StarsI received an ARC of this book via NetGalley 。。。more
Jordan
，
3。5 stars rounded up。 An incredibly well-researched and informed book that looks at the lives of Africans in Europe， from past to present。 As someone with a history degree， I often get frustrated with the narrative that Black people didn't exist in Europe in days of yore， that they just magically appeared one day， and I was really looking forward to delving more in depth into this nuanced and detailed history。 Otele does a great job of dispelling those popular misconceptions about the realities 3。5 stars rounded up。 An incredibly well-researched and informed book that looks at the lives of Africans in Europe， from past to present。 As someone with a history degree， I often get frustrated with the narrative that Black people didn't exist in Europe in days of yore， that they just magically appeared one day， and I was really looking forward to delving more in depth into this nuanced and detailed history。 Otele does a great job of dispelling those popular misconceptions about the realities of African Europeans， especially when it comes to times of antiquity。 While I think it is a valuable text， I found the organization and throughlines a bit confusing to track， and would have appreciated a stronger narrative editing hand。 Understandably， it felt very academic， and I think I would have really benefited from reading as a physical copy， pencil in hand， where i could make notes and easily flip back and forth。 （Though that is obviously not a fault of the book itself， which is why it did not impact my rating。） Overall， I'm glad to have had the chance to read it， and I think it will be one that I will revisit once I am able to grab a hard copy。Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Claire
，
I received African Europeans as part of a NetGalley giveaway。Despite mainstream notions that questions of immigration， diversity， and racial identity are a relatively recent phenomenon， African Europeans have been present at all levels of European society since ancient times。 Their stories are Europe's story， and over the centuries， African Europeans have found multiple ways of adapting to and/or challenging hostile or paternalistic white power structures， which themselves have evolved over time I received African Europeans as part of a NetGalley giveaway。Despite mainstream notions that questions of immigration， diversity， and racial identity are a relatively recent phenomenon， African Europeans have been present at all levels of European society since ancient times。 Their stories are Europe's story， and over the centuries， African Europeans have found multiple ways of adapting to and/or challenging hostile or paternalistic white power structures， which themselves have evolved over time。 From the ancient Roman emperor Septimius Severus， who was born in present-day Libya， to African Europeans of the colonial era fighting against paternalistic， condescending barriers to equality， to millennial and Gen Z activists challenging deeply entrenched and oppressive power structures and demanding an end to not just racism， but economic/environmental injustice， sexism， and homophobia， the African European experience is complex and too often ignored or compartmentalized by those in power。Somewhat surprising myself as someone whose major historical interests are ancient and medieval， I found the latter chapters on the more modern day experiences of African Europeans the most powerful and engaging。 I'm not sure if that's just a result of our particular moment in history， or if there's a natural commonality with people who live closer to us in time， but as a white American I found the discussions of how racism manifests itself differently between European countries， and between Europe and the United States， very thought-provoking。 I've had a working knowledge of how racism in America is its own phenomenon， but having a European perspective to compare it to really brought both sides into clearer focus。 As the epilogue states， African Europeans is more of an overview of the lives and experiences of African Europeans--each chapter feels like its own self-contained essay。 Personally， I tend to prefer deeper dives on a more concentrated subject， but that''s just me。 For those who may not have a strong background in the subject matter， African Europeans is a valuable introduction。 。。。more
Hannah
，
This is a pretty great book， but it's an absolutely terrible audiobook。 I knew I would be missing out because of not seeing some pictures and maps and stuff， but even more than that， it was like listening to a really dull keynote。。。。recorded。 Even dull keynotes are interesting live， because they have visual aids， or asides， or jokes， or reactions from the audience， but this was just。。。。long。 So long。 Such a worthwhile subject， but not well executed。 This is a pretty great book， but it's an absolutely terrible audiobook。 I knew I would be missing out because of not seeing some pictures and maps and stuff， but even more than that， it was like listening to a really dull keynote。。。。recorded。 Even dull keynotes are interesting live， because they have visual aids， or asides， or jokes， or reactions from the audience， but this was just。。。。long。 So long。 Such a worthwhile subject， but not well executed。 。。。more
Rachel
，
The answer to every person who's ever tried to argue that Black people appearing in European period dramas is anachronistic。 It's not。 People of African descent have been living in European （sometimes by choice， sometimes not） since ancient times。 From musicians to soldiers and everything in between， African Europeans have played an important role in the history of Europe。 But they have often been either forgotten or willfully erased by those （usually white and male） writing the history books。 O The answer to every person who's ever tried to argue that Black people appearing in European period dramas is anachronistic。 It's not。 People of African descent have been living in European （sometimes by choice， sometimes not） since ancient times。 From musicians to soldiers and everything in between， African Europeans have played an important role in the history of Europe。 But they have often been either forgotten or willfully erased by those （usually white and male） writing the history books。 Otele sets the record straight。 I learned about a number of historical figures I'd either never heard of （Joseph Bologne， French composer almost erased from history by Napoleon） or didn't realize were of African descent （Alexander Pushkin）。 Maybe too dry for reluctant non-fiction readers but I'm very glad to have read it and learned quite a bit。 。。。more
Courtney
，
I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This book is a well-researched look at the lives of Africans in Europe from antiquity to present， dispelling the myth of the all-white Europe seen in many a period drama and looked back fondly on by white supremacists。 From the early days through the slave trade， abolition， and beyond， all the way to the present， this is a great reminder that Black people have always been a part of Europe in some f I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This book is a well-researched look at the lives of Africans in Europe from antiquity to present， dispelling the myth of the all-white Europe seen in many a period drama and looked back fondly on by white supremacists。 From the early days through the slave trade， abolition， and beyond， all the way to the present， this is a great reminder that Black people have always been a part of Europe in some form or another。 And while Otele’s approach can be a bit dense at times， the expertise is there and you’ll absolutely come away with more knowledge about the lives of Black people in Europe。 。。。more
Amelia
，
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get through much of this one。 The subject is fascinating and I appreciate all the work that went into the book， but the language is too academic for me to understand。 From the description and cover I was expecting something more for the general reader， so I was disappointed to find more of a textbook。 Perhaps some time I would sit down and work slowly through it， but I would prefer something a bit more accessible。 I've still rated it 3 stars because from what I did Unfortunately I wasn't able to get through much of this one。 The subject is fascinating and I appreciate all the work that went into the book， but the language is too academic for me to understand。 From the description and cover I was expecting something more for the general reader， so I was disappointed to find more of a textbook。 Perhaps some time I would sit down and work slowly through it， but I would prefer something a bit more accessible。 I've still rated it 3 stars because from what I did read I thought it was very well done， just not for me。 I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy， I appreciate it。 。。。more
Nate
，
This book covers the history of African people in Europe/Western society from Biblical times through the present day。 I， however， could not get past chapter three。 The history was clearly well-researched and the author knew what she was talking about， but it was not communicated well。 The book would often dart between people and topics without fully explaining any of them， describing people as if they're recognizable on first glance。 The one that stood out was the story of St。 Maurice， who I nev This book covers the history of African people in Europe/Western society from Biblical times through the present day。 I， however， could not get past chapter three。 The history was clearly well-researched and the author knew what she was talking about， but it was not communicated well。 The book would often dart between people and topics without fully explaining any of them， describing people as if they're recognizable on first glance。 The one that stood out was the story of St。 Maurice， who I never heard about having never been a Christian nor a European。 The author talked about him in assorted paragraphs between other discussions about the life of Africans in Roman Europe and going as far as the Middle Ages before circling back。 This jumping around made it hard to remember who was whom and what they were doing and when。 There were many assertions of someone's influence， but no description of what their effect was。 The author seemed to become overly academic in her writing by responding to many historians as if we should already know who they were and their basic argument about whichever topic。 Overall， it felt like multiple historical journal articles mixed together， and I could not get through it。 A free e-copy of this book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Bethany
，
DNF at 7%This is not a reflection on the content of this book， but unfortunately I just couldn't get through the audiobook。 The narration is choppy with oddly placed pauses and emphasis which， in combination with the academic style of the prose， makes it very difficult to follow。 The premise of the book， looking at the history of Africans in Europes is an interesting and important one。 Perhaps I will return to the material via the physical book at some point in the future， but the audio just isn DNF at 7%This is not a reflection on the content of this book， but unfortunately I just couldn't get through the audiobook。 The narration is choppy with oddly placed pauses and emphasis which， in combination with the academic style of the prose， makes it very difficult to follow。 The premise of the book， looking at the history of Africans in Europes is an interesting and important one。 Perhaps I will return to the material via the physical book at some point in the future， but the audio just isn't going to work for me and that is what I currently have available。 I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jessica （piscesbooklover）
，
We all know what happened to the Africans who became Americans， but what of the Africans who have become Europeans？This book was not what I expected。 It was very well researched， well written and something I could have thoroughly used in one of my history classes in college。 This highly academic book has sources that I myself had to also look up to grasps the full scope to understand what she was trying to get across in her writing。 I honestly felt like I was back in the library during one of th We all know what happened to the Africans who became Americans， but what of the Africans who have become Europeans？This book was not what I expected。 It was very well researched， well written and something I could have thoroughly used in one of my history classes in college。 This highly academic book has sources that I myself had to also look up to grasps the full scope to understand what she was trying to get across in her writing。 I honestly felt like I was back in the library during one of those late-night sessions （which isn't a bad thing）。Very well done。 Thank you， NetGalley， for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review。 。。。more
Erin
，
African Europeans show's a different part of history than we get as Americans。 We get to see the start of African interacting with Ancient Greece and Rome and how they started to move around the continents。 How they were being treated and how things have changed over time and the recognition they are finally getting now。 Colorism is talked about a lot in this book and how it does affect people and change the amount of success they were able to have throughout history。 We also got to see Kings an African Europeans show's a different part of history than we get as Americans。 We get to see the start of African interacting with Ancient Greece and Rome and how they started to move around the continents。 How they were being treated and how things have changed over time and the recognition they are finally getting now。 Colorism is talked about a lot in this book and how it does affect people and change the amount of success they were able to have throughout history。 We also got to see Kings and other royalty deal with going to different countries and how that was good in some ways it also caused other problems later on。 Overall this book was very informative and I loved how much I learned from it。 I will say it does read a bit like a textbook at times which did make me take about a month to read it， but besides that everything else was great。 So much of history was covered in this book and I loved it！ I loved learning about a part of history that I knew really nothing about until now and I want to continue learning about it now。 Otele was really thorough in her research and you could tell how passionate she was about this book and making history know。 I can see reading more by them in the future and continuing to find books about African Europeans as well as African in other please as this is something that I want to learn more about。 I highly suggest this non-fiction book。 。。。more
Andrew
，
Olivette Otélé provides a very comprehensive history of Africans in Europe from the earliest times through to the twenty-first century。 Interestingly， we find communities of people of African descent across that continent from the British Isles right through to Russia and the various places in between。 While their presence has had an impact on the history， politics， and religion of the region for generations they still remain a hidden class in many countries as they continue to face many challen Olivette Otélé provides a very comprehensive history of Africans in Europe from the earliest times through to the twenty-first century。 Interestingly， we find communities of people of African descent across that continent from the British Isles right through to Russia and the various places in between。 While their presence has had an impact on the history， politics， and religion of the region for generations they still remain a hidden class in many countries as they continue to face many challenges mainly in the form of racism in modern times。 This is an excellent history showing that Africans haven't just been arrivals to Europe in recent decades and is recommended reading。 。。。more
2TReads
，
This is one of those historical accounts that needs to be read。African Europeans have been creating and sharing knowledge for centuries。 They have been transmitting their various cultures in environments that were hostile to them and in ways that were not recognised as valuable by scholars from the Global North。'Otele has written an illuminating and engaging history that is aimed at returning the Africans that existed within the European societal construct to the collective consciousness of toda This is one of those historical accounts that needs to be read。African Europeans have been creating and sharing knowledge for centuries。 They have been transmitting their various cultures in environments that were hostile to them and in ways that were not recognised as valuable by scholars from the Global North。'Otele has written an illuminating and engaging history that is aimed at returning the Africans that existed within the European societal construct to the collective consciousness of today。Those whose images had been rewritten and redrawn by European historians to suit their racialised definitions and perceptions。 She has reclaimed their true identities and contributions that have been obscured to feed into the need to erase and downplay their colonialistic and imperialist past。She uses an investigative and comparative approach using records and surviving observations to accomplish this and it is done brilliantly。Otele focuses on their relationship with their histories and identities， how the structure of the European society was set up to extract their talents， minds， and bodies to further each colonial country's agenda， while refusing to view them as an integral part of the social fabric。She takes us into laws and practices that were implemented to exclude and separate those of African descent and with dual heritage from the native white populace， the perceptions held by the general public and the effects that rippled and crippled the potential of those who were branded stateless， not belonging， exotic。We also learn how these countries use their dual-heritaged/African-descended individuals to excel in arenas such as Sports/Athletics and the Arts。 But throughout Otele's brilliant， easy to read and understand account， we are shown the resilience that resides within， how it is used to fight for the right to be seen and heard。 Across Europe， social movements， festivals， artists， and activists have instigated and initiated movements to cement their place in the countries they and their ancestors， on and off continent， literally built。 。。。more
Ana
，
I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 African Europeans is a fantastic look at an overlooked part of history。 Not only does she explore Africans and people of African descent in Europe， but also those of European and African descent in African colonies。 The book is well written， and provides fascinating detail into the lives of African Europeans。 I found the writing style itself swung between fairly casual and easy to read， to quite dry and I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 African Europeans is a fantastic look at an overlooked part of history。 Not only does she explore Africans and people of African descent in Europe， but also those of European and African descent in African colonies。 The book is well written， and provides fascinating detail into the lives of African Europeans。 I found the writing style itself swung between fairly casual and easy to read， to quite dry and academic， but that is my only real negative critique of the book。 Otherwise， this is a cohesive and extremely well researched book， covering many centuries。 Not an easy feat， but I think Otele successfully pulled it off。I recommend this book to those who are interested in Black history or European history。 。。。more
Elijah
，
This book was an excellent look at the history of African people in Europe， finally uniting multiple narratives that up until this point had not been synthesized into a single complete history。 By emphasizing the intellectual and political achievements of historical African Europeans， Otele seeks to change the impression of Africa-Europe relations as being ones solely of oppression and being taken advantage of。 An extremely important book in studying both early Black history and the foundations This book was an excellent look at the history of African people in Europe， finally uniting multiple narratives that up until this point had not been synthesized into a single complete history。 By emphasizing the intellectual and political achievements of historical African Europeans， Otele seeks to change the impression of Africa-Europe relations as being ones solely of oppression and being taken advantage of。 An extremely important book in studying both early Black history and the foundations of the creation of race。 。。。more
Library of Dreaming （Bookstagram）
，
“These stories should be taught， widely analyzed， and valued。 They bring us back to our human nature， while also serving as reminders that ‘humanity’ itself is a shifting concept。”/Thank you so much to Netgalley， Basic Books， and Perseus Books for the review copy of African Europeans: An Untold History， publication date May 4， 2021。 Where can I begin with this epic read？？ I adored it。 It’s the answer to so many questions I had during my study of history and has given me a new hunger for this “These stories should be taught， widely analyzed， and valued。 They bring us back to our human nature， while also serving as reminders that ‘humanity’ itself is a shifting concept。”/Thank you so much to Netgalley， Basic Books， and Perseus Books for the review copy of African Europeans: An Untold History， publication date May 4， 2021。 Where can I begin with this epic read？？ I adored it。 It’s the answer to so many questions I had during my study of history and has given me a new hunger for this subject。European studies is chronically lacking when it comes to portraying the diversity of history。 Certain narratives are focused on again and again while leaving out the bigger picture。 Each section of this book focuses on a particular region and connects past events to present issues。 Every bit of it is fresh and relevant for our era today， not to mention fascinating to read about。My main complaint is I felt like the book was too short。 Sometimes the author would mentioned a historical figure in passing and then move on， leaving me adrift and longing for more detail。 I think I would’ve been happy to read 400 or even 800 more pages on this subject。 It really just scratches the surface and I want more！ 。。。more
Barbara
，
A lot of scholarship has gone into this book。 Professor Otele is of course an academic， and her style is quite dry with constant referencing of her sources。 As an academic book， it is extremely important and interesting with challenging content in the second half。 What I missed， however， were the stories。 For the most part， she relates the accounts of people's lives but they don't leap off the page。 There are no illustrations， so I scurried across the internet to find images of the people she wa A lot of scholarship has gone into this book。 Professor Otele is of course an academic， and her style is quite dry with constant referencing of her sources。 As an academic book， it is extremely important and interesting with challenging content in the second half。 What I missed， however， were the stories。 For the most part， she relates the accounts of people's lives but they don't leap off the page。 There are no illustrations， so I scurried across the internet to find images of the people she was mentioning。 Some of them came much more alive in their Wikipedia entries。 So this book provides not only food for thought， but offers ideas for further personal research into some fascinating characters。 。。。more
Jessica
，
This was such a great read and very informative and now I want to pick up other books like it like Afropean and Black and British
Susan Steed
，
This filled in some major blank spots in my knowledge （and it seems in the collective consciousness of a lot of Europe）。 Covers an absolutely vast amount of history but is made manageable by being centred around the lives of some incredible African Europeans。
Jennifer Schultz
，
Read if you: Want a detailed exploration of a history that should definitely be better known。This requires a patient reader。 At times， it feels academic and daunting。 However， with so little of the history of African Europeans available to general readers， this should be a top consideration。 I only wish a more general audience had been considered。 This is not it， unfortunately。 Librarians/booksellers: This adds a necessary focus to European history。 Purchase for your serious history readers。 Man Read if you: Want a detailed exploration of a history that should definitely be better known。This requires a patient reader。 At times， it feels academic and daunting。 However， with so little of the history of African Europeans available to general readers， this should be a top consideration。 I only wish a more general audience had been considered。 This is not it， unfortunately。 Librarians/booksellers: This adds a necessary focus to European history。 Purchase for your serious history readers。 Many thanks to Perseus Books/Basic Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marcia Crabtree
，
I am grateful to NetGalley and the Hatchette Book Group for providing me an advanced digital copy of African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele to review。 This nonfiction book is extremely well researched and well written， however it doesn’t make for easy， pleasurable reading。 Ms。 Otele describes in detail the lives of many Europeans who either were born in Africa or were born in Europe of African descent， beginning in the earliest days of recorded history， 23 BCE， through to the pre I am grateful to NetGalley and the Hatchette Book Group for providing me an advanced digital copy of African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele to review。 This nonfiction book is extremely well researched and well written， however it doesn’t make for easy， pleasurable reading。 Ms。 Otele describes in detail the lives of many Europeans who either were born in Africa or were born in Europe of African descent， beginning in the earliest days of recorded history， 23 BCE， through to the present。 She provides an eye-opening look at how these people were treated centuries ago all over Europe， particularly beginning in Italy， and how they are treated today。 Her characters include rulers and slaves， people of high birth and low， outsiders and fully connected individuals， all of whom show an ongoing interconnectedness between the African and European peoples。 I recommend this book for anyone interested in Black History， race relations， European history and even African American history。 。。。more
Amanda
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Otele has done a masterful job of weaving together the experiences of Africans in Europe from Antiquity to the present。 The sweeping nature of this task requires limited engagement with each item， but individual case studies and firm theoretical links make this engaging and thorough。 This should be required reading for all graduate students， whether in a methods， historiography， or content specific course。 I am writing my dissertation in medieval history and studied transatlantic history as an o Otele has done a masterful job of weaving together the experiences of Africans in Europe from Antiquity to the present。 The sweeping nature of this task requires limited engagement with each item， but individual case studies and firm theoretical links make this engaging and thorough。 This should be required reading for all graduate students， whether in a methods， historiography， or content specific course。 I am writing my dissertation in medieval history and studied transatlantic history as an outside field。 I saw quality familiar scholars， such as Geraldine Heng， in Otele's references and learned of many new ones。 And， most importantly， I learned how things I was already familiar with continued and linked with other things over time and until the present。 I would slightly quibble about African and European in a Roman imperial context， but this conversation is necessary because of how that history is used。 Scholars of ancient Rome have received death threats for such mundane things as reminding people that statues were painted！ Putting the modern frame of African and European on ancient Rome within this context confronts these （ab）uses of ancient history and set the stage for the rest of Otele's analysis。 Right now， this is necessary reading for graduate students or faculty。 With some signposting， subsections， and maybe the various theories introduced early in its own section， this could be a wonderful addition to any western civilization or world history class。 Something on these topics is desperately needed for those big surveys and the scope is there。 As it stands it would be difficult to even excerpt for those audiences。 That said， anyone who teaches this material， get this in your hands and update your lectures！ 。。。more
Dan Hicks
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A new landmark study of the central place of the lives and experiences of people of African descent in Europe’s history。 Accessibly written， it skilfully combines a reassessment of a hidden past across two millennia with an urgent celebration of multiple identities in the present。 African Europeans: An Untold History reframes how we understand the enduring and vital connections between Africa and Europe—at human as well as transcontinental scales
Lois
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Truth is I finished this the day after I started it🤷🏾♀️I consumed it like a feast and did not take appropriate notes😭So I need to add my quotes at a later date。I felt this encompasses a very full and complete view of history。Often we are given a peripheral view of history and told that's all that exists。This bursts that open but doesn't focus on that so much as continues with the story。So many fabulous quotes。This is well written and sourced。 Truth is I finished this the day after I started it🤷🏾♀️I consumed it like a feast and did not take appropriate notes😭So I need to add my quotes at a later date。I felt this encompasses a very full and complete view of history。Often we are given a peripheral view of history and told that's all that exists。This bursts that open but doesn't focus on that so much as continues with the story。So many fabulous quotes。This is well written and sourced。 。。。more
Ethan
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