Ethnogenesis and Fractal History on an African Frontier

Mambila–njerep–mandulu

Bibliographic Data

ID8978446
AuthorsD Zeitlyn (0000-0001-5853-7351, University of Kent, corresponding author), Bruce Connell (0000-0003-3648-5073, York University)
Year2003
Volume44
Issue1
Pages117-138
Publication date2003-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of African History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s002185370200823x
OpenAlexW2135158942
LanguageEN
Citations received10

This paper explores the notion of fractals – structures that display a similar degree of complexity at whatever scale they may be viewed – in relation to investigating African history. A case study of developing ethnicities in the Mambila region of the Nigeria–Cameroon borderland is presented from a fractal perspective: five levels of the history of this region, covering different time, population and physical scales, as well as different objects of explanation for each, are explored. Our general conclusion is that the different scales, or levels, at which one may view history may contain features or imply generalizations that mask features found in, or generalizations implied by, other levels

Archaeology · Cartography · Economic geography · Ethnic group · Ethnogenesis · Fractal · Frontier · Genealogy · Geography · Geometry · Perspective (graphical · Population · Relation (database · Scale (ratio · Sociology · Anthropology · Computer Science · Demography · Fractal and DNA sequence analysis · History · Mathematics

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