Reviews

"A marvelous achievement, a deep pioneering advancement, a reminder to New World historians of what 'history proper' is, a narrative that portrays, comprehensive and spirited, a people from its roots. A History of the Yoruba People is an outstanding work of brilliant chronicles and persuasive interpretation by a distinguished scholar and historiographer of Africa." - Professor Michael Vickers, author of Ethnicity and Sub-Nationalism in Nigeria: Movement for a Mid-West State (Oxford, 2000) and Phantom Trail: Discovering Ancient America (New York, 2005).

"The book not only offers an interesting and engaging reflection on Yoruba history but is also a fascinating text on what it means to be Yoruba today." - Dr. Insa Nolte, Senior Lecturer in African Studies, University of Birmingham, UK.

"This book is more than an attempt, in the 21st century, at the (re)presentation of a comprehensive history of the Yoruba, shifting the focus to a broader and more eclectic narrative. It is a systematic, much more nuanced account based on evidence." - Wale Adebanwi, Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, African Studies Centre, University of Oxford, UK.

"Akintoye connects Yoruba's past to the present, expanding and transcending it... in scope and time, rekindling both the century-old passion and agenda to unveil the long history and intrinsic identity of one of Africa and the African diaspora's most significant peoples and ethnicities. It is an accessible work with a promise of timelessness, written by the only person who has maintained academic interest in this subject for nearly half a century, sharing the treasures of accumulated knowledge with a blend of acquired wisdom and mature judgment about the future." - Toyin Falola, The Frances Higginbotham Nalle Professor in History, University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Author Biography

For four decades, Professor Stephen Adebanji Akintoye has been at the forefront of African and Yoruba history studies. In 1966, after earning a Ph.D. in history from the University of Ibadan, he joined the Department of History at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria, where he served as a professor and director of the Institute of African Studies. He has also taught African history at universities in the United States. Akintoye is the author of three books, chapters in numerous edited volumes, and several articles in academic journals. He played a prominent political role in Nigeria, serving in the Nigerian Senate from 1979 to 1983.