Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna: The Origins of a West African Political System
by Stephen A. Dueppen F’10, New Faculty Fellows awardee, now available from Acumen Publishing.
Many West African societies have egalitarian political systems, with non-centralised distributions of power. Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna analyses a wide range of archaeological data to explore the development of such societies. The volume offers a detailed case study of the village settlement of Kirikongo in western Burkina Faso. Over the course of the first millennium, this single homestead extended control over a growing community. The book argues that the decentralization of power in the twelfth century BCE radically transformed this society, changing gender roles, public activities, pottery making and iron-working. Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna will be of interest to students of political science, anthropology, archaeology and the history of West Africa.
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In Print: “Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna,” Around the O, May 6, 2013
