PREFACE

African and African American Studies (AFA) at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) offers students an intellectual space to enhance their understanding of continental Africa and the African diaspora. Achieving this goal requires providing students with high-quality resources that address multiple educational objectives that offer interdisciplinarity and critical thinking skills. While many scholars in various disciplines have contributed to this ambitious goal through their numerous works, a growing need remains for additional scholarly sources to prepare students to become better informed about the ever-changing Black world. The AFA faculty at EKU sought to meet that need with the 2019 publication of the edited book Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience. They have answered another call to provide our students and the world with an open-access textbook on the historical and contemporary transformation of the African experience.

Ancient and Modern: The African Experience consists of twenty-one chapters written in clear, accessible language by accomplished and emerging Africanists in diverse fields and offers students wide-ranging voices spanning generations of experts living in Africa and across the Diaspora. It presents the dynamic physical, human, historical, economic, political, social, and cultural developments shaping the present and future of Africa and Africans in the Diaspora—a significant focus of the African Experience curriculum at EKU. As the different chapters attest, this book uses an interdisciplinary approach that helps students think critically beyond the boundaries of specific disciplines and broaden their perspective of the African world and its complexity. It describes the continent’s inner realities, African people’s everyday experiences, and their relations to the increasingly globalized world. It is a narrative of past and present Africa that lays the foundation for a better projection into the future of Africans, their resilience, agency, and actions. Many authors included in this volume have lived, schooled, and worked in their respective African countries of origin and abroad.

A project of this magnitude takes the passion and dedication of many individuals, and the editors thank all those who have generously helped this project come to fruition. The AFA faculty at EKU worked tirelessly to ensure this dream’s fruition. EKU students have been a constant source of inspiration for making this work possible. From their insightful class discussions to exceptional projects showcasing Africa, EKU students have been eager to advance their knowledge and debunk the common stereotypes about Africa’s peoples and cultures. Special thanks to Julie George, Dean of Libraries; Kelly Smith, University Librarian and Director of Collections and Discovery; Bailey Lake, Assistant University Librarian; and other Eastern Kentucky Libraries faculty for supporting this project with their resources and time. Special thanks go to Dr. Mercy Cannon, Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS), and Dr. John Bowes, Associate Dean of CLASS, for their unwavering support and encouragement. Most of all, AFA appreciates the constant support from the EKU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Sara Zeigler, and President Dr. David T. McFaddin.

The editors are also indebted to the contributors to this book, affiliated with various institutions and departments of higher education in Africa and the United States, for sharing their stories and research with students in African studies and reader communities worldwide. They have been patient during the lengthy review process and have generously invested their time to edit and revise their chapters based on editors’ feedback. Their unique positionality and perspective have given important credibility to this book, enriched its content, and made it an excellent tool for students in African studies and other related academic fields.

Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students, including general readers seeking to expand their knowledge of the African experience, this book will help African studies students residing in the United States and abroad develop their critical thinking ability by emphasizing the comprehension of key developments on the African continent in their proper human, historical, and international contexts. Students will benefit from the contributors' diverse academic horizons, socio-cultural backgrounds in Africa, and transnational experiences, which will equip them with both inside and outside perspectives when revisiting and interpreting narratives about continental Africa, its people, and the African diaspora.

Dr. Ogechi E. Anyanwu, Professor of African History, Eastern Kentucky University

Dr. Lisa Day, Associate Professor of English, Eastern Kentucky University

Dr. Daniel Joseph, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Eastern Kentucky University

Dr. Iddah A. Otieno, Professor of English & African Studies, Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Dr. Joshua Farrington, Assistant Professor of History, Bluegrass Community and Technical College