African Foragers

The central tenet of this book is the idea that modern hunter-gatherers are not a 'leftover from prehistory', but that they are part of a very long history of foraging societies that have been able to adapt and survive in the face of ecological and environmental change. Kusimba's study traces the evolution and history of foragers from the Middle Stone Age to the present day, highlighting the importance of social interaction, ecological adaptation and technological response to the changing world around them. Alongside this, she explores shifts in the attitudes of the archaeologists and anthropologists that study such societies and in the methods theey employ in their research.