Atlas’s Bones

Atlas’s Bones (University of Chicago Press) is a bold reexamination of how deeply African thought shaped what we now call European culture. D. Vance Smith, an English professor, demonstrates that many of the key literary, political, and religious ideas typically attributed to medieval Europe actually emerged from African writers and traditions. From there, Smith traces the efforts of Europe to paint a distorted medieval image of Africa to further justify imperialism and colonialism. Atlas’s Bones is an essential work that restores Africa to its central place in the history of European thought.