Decolonizing with Data: The Cliometric Turn in African Economic History

Abstract

Our understanding of Africa’s economic past – the causes and consequences of precolonial polities, the slave trade, state formation, the Scramble for Africa, European settlement, and independence – has improved markedly over the last two decades. Much of this is the result of the cliometric turn in African economic history, what some have called a “renaissance.” While acknowledging that cliometrics is not new to African history, this chapter examines the major recent contributions, noting their methodological advances and dividing them into four broad themes: persistence of deep traits, slavery, colonialism, and independence. We conclude with a brief bibliometric exercise, noting the lack of Africans working at the frontier of African cliometrics.