The Gun in Central Africa: A History of Technology and Politics

Drawing on a range of theoretical concepts originating from outside the field of African studies, this book offers the first thorough history of firearms in Central Africa between the early nineteenth and the early twentieth century. The book approaches the trajectory of firearms in Central Africa from a culturally sensitive perspective that embraces both the practical applications of guns and the set of values and meanings that they have been taken to encompass. Intended as an exploration of the intersections between technology, society, politics and culture, it adopts a comparative perspective to chart, and account for, different user and potential user reactions to the same externally-introduced technology.