Literacy's Feedback on Historical Analysis Revisited: Papers in Honor of David Henige

Abstract

During the course of a long and fruitful career as an historian and librarian, David Henige has made major contributions to the development of the field of African history, as well as to the historical profession in general. His insistence that historians reflect carefully on how they collect, sample and analyze their data, and the lucid way in which he has written about the historian's craft, has not only helped to remind us historians of important methodological concerns, it has also inspired us to engage with methodology as an exciting topic in its own right. One major theme in his work has been that of literacy and its impact on oral tradition, memory, and historical interpretation. His book Oral Historiography (1982) and his articles on “feedback” and chronology in oral tradition have become essential reading for all students of African history. While among historians of Africa, it is particularly in this area where he has made most if an impact, David Henige has also made important contributions to other fields of history. He is a remarkably versatile and widely read historian, who has engaged with an impressively broad range of topics – and in each case with a strong methodological concern. His wide-ranging oeuvre and impact are explored in detail in Michel Doortmont's contribution to this special issue.