Welcome to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History
- Learn more about our Editorial Board.
- Browse the growing collection of articles, overviews and key subject works.
- Discover forthcoming articles in the ORE of African History.
- Have questions about how to use the redesigned website? Check out our What's Changed.
Featured
Obafemi Awolowo

"Obafemi Awolowo (full Yoruba name: Ọbafẹ́mi Jeremiah Oyèníyì Awólọ́wọ̀, b. 1909–d. 1987) was one of the most important statesmen and political thinkers of Nigeria in the 20th century. After losing his father at the age of ten, Awolowo worked as a teacher and journalist to complete his secondary education before moving into business..." – By Insa Nolte
Featured
Women in Eritrea

"The understanding of womanhood in Eritrea reflects the country’s complex ethnic mosaic, social divides, and stratified history. Given the paucity of sources, understanding of women in traditional precolonial society is mediated by the accounts of colonial ethnographers. These accounts tend to produce an overall image of a patriarchal society in which women had little or no power..." – By Milena Belloni
What's New to the OREs
In May 2023, 87 new articles, 15 revised, 3 summary articles, spread across 23 subjects.have been published on the Oxford Research Encyclopedias platform. Explore the recently published articles now.
One More Encyclopedia Available via Subscription and Perpetual Access
On April 20, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health will be available via subscription and perpetual access. After a successful free period during development, the OREs provide in-depth overviews of the major areas of research and will continue to grow with the field over time. If you're a librarian, explore Subscriber Services to learn how to provide access to the OREs for your institution. If you're not a librarian, you can recommend the OREs to your librarian here.

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Recently Published
Browse recently published articles by month, including summaries and previews of forthcoming full-text articles.