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The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in The Age of Empire Hardcover – November 15, 2011

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 107 ratings


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jonas has brought Adwa into the fold of transnational history, marrying the local and the global in lively, engaging prose in this excellent exercise in narrative history." -- Teshale Tibebu, Temple University, Choice (A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2012)

"[Jonas has given] us a masterly account of one of the most dramatic moments in the modern history of Africa."- Bahru Zewde, University of Addis Ababa,
Africa Review of Books

Review

Jonas’s lucidly woven account masterfully repositions the role of contingency in the unfolding of history and uses the little-known battle to stand for the audacious imperial quest for glory unleashed by Western powers in the ‘scramble for Africa.’ …His remarkable cast of characters and insightful prose will be of interest to scholars of African history and issues related to counterinsurgency.
-- Brian Odom Library Journal
On March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa, in Ethiopia, an African army convincingly struck down the colonizing Italian army in a battle that decisively shaped not only the contours of Ethiopia but also its future and that of the continent. As University of Washington historian Jonas so deftly observes in this nimble and artfully crafted work, the events at Adwa cast doubt upon Europeans’ unshakeable certainty that Africans would eventually fall under their rule. Jonas draws vibrant portraits of the personalities at the center of these events, from the shrewd Ethiopian monarch Menelik and his bold, aggressive wife, Taytu Betul, to the unfortunate Italian general Oreste Baratieri, the leader of the defeated Italian forces. As Jonas points out, the African victory at Adwa commenced the crumbling of European dominance of Africa; Ethiopia thus became a source of pride and lineage often indistinguishable from Africa itself, and writers such as W.E.B. Du Bois based their own model African states on Ethiopia. Weaving a colorful account from the stories of a dazzling array of characters, Jonas skillfully recreates this now mostly forgotten event that determined the color of Africa.
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Jonas offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most important events in modern African history. He brilliantly brings to life the story of Ethiopian leaders, Italian military officials, and quirky European advisors and observers. Written in a wonderfully evocative and lively style, this book firmly establishes the Battle of Adwa’s place in world history and will appeal to a broad readership.
-- Jonathan Miran, author of
Red Sea Citizens

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Belknap Press; 1st edition (November 15, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674052749
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674052741
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

About the author

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Raymond Anthony Jonas
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My work explores episodes that connect Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire (Harvard) shows how European and Mexican fears of American empire converged to establish a European monarchy on Mexican soil.

The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire (Harvard) tells the unique story of successful African resistance to colonization. The book narrates this signal event in global history and follows the Adwa story as it rolls through African and European diasporic communities. The Battle of Adwa represents the culmination of ten years of research on three continents – Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Earlier work elaborates the political culture of counter-revolution, notably in art, architecture, and ritual. France and the Cult of the Sacred Heart: an Epic Tale for Modern Times (California) focuses on the basilica of Sacré-Coeur in Paris. It situates the basilica within the cold civil war that simmered for over a century after the Revolution of 1789.

The Tragic Tale of Claire Ferchaud and the Great War (California) adopts the biographical form to follow an unusual personality as she navigates the boundary between divine inspiration and hysteria.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
107 global ratings

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Matthew
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
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5.0 out of 5 stars Good work!
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gwaan
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2011
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