阿杜·博亨与非洲史研究

Albert Adu Boahen and His African History Studies

20世纪中叶以来,伴随着非洲民族独立运动的兴起,非洲史学获得了显著的发展,涌现出一批国际知名的历史学家。加纳历史学家阿杜·博亨就是其中著名的一位。他对非洲史的研究重点,主要集中在两个方面:一是对加纳史和西非史的研究。这很好地回应了西方学者关于"非洲没有历史"的主观臆断。二是对非洲殖民史的研究。他认为在非洲的历史长河当中,殖民主义统治仅仅是一个插曲或阶段;殖民主义尽管在政治、经济和社会等方面对非洲产生了严重的影响,但不能把它看成沉重的历史包袱。他还对非洲人民抵抗殖民主义统治的英勇行为加以充分的肯定。

African historiography had made progresses since the middle of twentieth century, and a lot of famous African historians had emerged. Adu Boahen, a Ghana historian, was the representative of them, and his African history studies focused on two areas: one is Ghana’s history and West African history. In this area, he had refuted West scholars’ wrong idea which Africa does not have history. Another is the history of colonialism in Africa, and he believed that colonialism is an episode in the long African history. He held that colonialism had given serious impacts to Africa in many areas, such as politics, economic and society, but people should not see it as a heavy history burden. Adu Boahen also fully confirmed African people’s revolt to colonialism.