Historical Archaeology in Africa is an inquiry into historical questions that count, proposing different ways of thinking about historical archaeology. Peter Schmidt challenges readers to expand their horizons . Confronting topics of oral traditions, the role of cultural landscapes in social memory, and historical misrepresentations of various cultures, Schmidt calls for a new pathway to an enriched, more nuanced, and more inclusive historical archaeology. Allowing Africa to speak for itself without colonial interpreters, Historical Archaeology in Africa will be of interest not only to historians and archaeologists, but to all concerned with Africa's past and present.

"Schmidt discusses a research methodology of historical archaeology that he employs using oral narratives of indigenous communities as an important part of the historical record, instead of emphasizing the written record or Western-based colonial methods. Describing this as "African based archaeology," Schmidt emphasizes how the consideration of oral histories and local legends or mythology can be a vital component of research for historical archaeologists when investigating sites. Archaeologists can miss important clues in the interpretation of material or social culture by not involving the local communities, or by investigating from a specifically ethnocentric research method. This very readable work is a vital text for researchers studying communities steeped in oral traditions. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Researchers of Africanist archaeology or history, upper-division undergraduates and above" - CHOICE

"Schmidt's work not only provides key insights to method in African archaeology, but also challenges historical archaeologists working throughout the world to utilize a wide variety of sources when interpreting the past as well as to move beyond the imposed prehistoric/historic period dichotomy as advocated by Lightfoot (1995) and others working in North America." - African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter, December 2007

"This book is a very useful debating point for post-graduate seminars and anyone interested in the current arguments pertaining to the place of archaeology in post-colonial African history." - H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online, April 2007

"I would encourage anyone interested in issues concerning the production of archaeological knowledge in non-Western contexts, and the power relations that accompany this, to read this book." - Antiquity