ISBN: HB: 9781588396877

Yale University Press, Metropolitan Museum of Art

January 2020

288 pp.

27,9x22,8 cm

300 colour illus.

HB:
£50.00
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Sahel

Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara

This groundbreaking volume examines the extraordinary artistic and cultural traditions of the African region known as the Sahel ("shore" in Arabic), a vast area on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert that includes present-day Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad. This is the first book to present a comprehensive overview of the diverse cultural achievements and traditions of the region, spanning more than 1,300 years from the pre-Islamic period through the 19th century. It features some of the earliest extant art from Africa as well as such iconic works as sculptures by the Dogon and Bamana peoples of Mali. Essays by leading international scholars discuss the art, architecture, archaeology, literature, philosophy, religion, and history of the Sahel, exploring the unique cultural landscape in which these ancient communities flourished. Richly illustrated and brilliantly argued, Sahel brings to life the enduring creativity of the different peoples who lived, traded, and traveled through this crossroads of the world.

About the author

Alisa LaGamma is Curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.