Dictionary of African Biography

In the spirit of The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, American National Biography, and African American National Biography all three published by Oxford University Press Dictionary of African Biography is a major biographical dictionary covering the lives and legacies of notable African men and women from all eras and walks of life. The rich history of the African people has been unduly neglected in the scholarly literature, and reliable reference material is in short supply. Although scholarship on Africa is flourishing, very little of this research has yet filtered down into accessible reference works; well designed reference material is essential to promote further scholarly inquiry, learning, and education, and to satisfy increasing interest among nonspecialist audiences. Older reference works focus unevenly on the colonial period, European adventurers, and Egyptian dynasties. A comprehensive biographical dictionary will greatly increase our understanding of the African continent and have a transformative effect on education and research. Entries will be written by contributing scholars from African studies departments the world over. DAB contains nearly 2 million words in nearly 2,100 entries, each with bibliography, ranging from 750 to 2,000 words.