History and Culture

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Editorial Reviews
The author, Stanley B. Alpern (stanalpern@webstore.fr) , May 3, 1999
Amazons of Black Sparta is the first book ever published in English on the only thoroughly documented amazons in world history.They were the elite troops of the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. No other group of women warriors, including those the Greeks dubbed amazons for their alleged lack of one breast, has ever been more than a myth....

Inside flap:
Although warfare is typically conducted by men, in various places and at various times women have
fought bravely and well, and in the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 19th century, they
formed the elite corps of a successful army. Many European visitors to Dahomey commented
favorably on their military bearing, finding them more impressive in discipline and maneuver than
male Dahomean soldiers. When France invaded Dahomey in the early 1890s, their superior
weapons won the war, but all those French officers and men who wrote about their bloody battles
against Dahomey declared not only that these women warriors were superior to male Dahomean
soldiers, but also that they were the equals of the French. Robert B. Edgerton describes the history
of these "Amazons" (as they became known) and their recruitment, training, and battle experience.
Of particular interest to scholars interested in culture and gender today, these women believed that
in order for them to carry out their martial roles, they had to transform themselves into men. How
this was done, how the Amazons lived and fought, and what their experiences might mean for the
understanding of women and warfare both in the past and the present are the subjects of Warrior
Women.

Top-notch history, April 3, 2001 Reviewer: Bill Belli (see more about me) from Benin, West Africa . If you are interested in the history of African kingdoms, the former Slave Coast, kingdom politics or just ethnography, this book is worth your time to read. It is not "gender history," it is a well-rounded, well-researched examination of an unusual kingdom, presenting many sides of the complex society which produced and supported the monarchy, including the wives of the kings and their important roles. I live and work in Benin, West Africa (formerly Dahomey) among the descendents of the very people Edna Bay has written about. Many of my friends trace their lineage to the kings of Dahomey and Allada. I spend my time in their villages, speak their languages (Ayizo & Fon), listen to their stories, and share their lives. In several cases Bay's discussion of the way things "were" describe very well the way things are right now in the lives of my village friends. Several of her observations also helped to clarify and articulate cultural attitudes that differ from my own. In other words: she's done her research well.

Bay's commentary on history and how it's written, particularly in the context of the kingdom of Dahomey, is fascinating all by itself. Her more general first chapters are informative. The subsequent chapters, which are divided by the reigns of the kings, are more detailed. Although keeping track of some of the titles and the players can get a little tricky, the chapters are well-woven and paint a strong picture of the kingdom and its development.

No work is perfect, of course, and there are a few items which differ from my experience or the information provided by my Beninoix friends, but without doubt this book is worth reading. On a technical note I would suggest that the title of the book would be better as "Mothers of the Leopard" since "Kpojito" is literally translated as "the leopard giving-birth person." All in all, it's a book worth having.

Book Description
Benin, one of Africa's smallest and least viable countries, has always attracted considerable academic attention because of its rich traditions and history, as well as its turbulent political evolution. At one point it held the continental record for the highest number of coups d'D'etat, and since 1972 was ruled by an iron-fisted military junta that formally adopted Marxism and declared a People's Republic. In 1989 Benin once again attracted global attention as the country became the first in Africa to liberalize its political and economic system, hold competitive multi-party elections, and transfer power to a civilian head of state. The dictionary, thoroughly revised for this third edition, traces the dominant historical, social, economic, and political features of the country and outlines the biographies of some of the most important personalities who have played a role in the Beninois public scene. Because much of the literature covering Benin appears in French, the work serves not merely as a basic reference work on Benin, but also as one of only a handful of works on the country in English. The bibliography includes a large body of literature that accumulated since the previous edition. It remains the only such comprehensive multilingual bibliography available today, and a basic guide to the literature for students and experts alike.

by Melville J. Herskovits (Editor), Frances S. Herskovits, J. Melville, Jane I. Guyer, David Easterbrook (1958)

Herskovits was a famous American Cultural Anthropologist who did extensive studies in Benin. He lived from 1895-1963. Another in depth book that he wrote about Benin was:

Book Description: CountryWatch.com's Country Reviews(tm) are concise, up-to-date sources for political and economic information on the 190 nations defined by the U.S. State Department as Independent States of the World, plus Serbia and Montenegro. In addition, data on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau are included in the Country Review(tm) for China.

Each Country Review(tm) begins with an overview which provides key demographic and geographic information as well as full color regional and country maps by Magellan Geographix(tm). Government and political information is provided in a format which enables the reader to get an overview of the organization of the various branches of the government, a brief summary of current political conditions, and a list of current leaders, including a biography of the head of government/state. Economic information, compiled and condensed from a large number of reliable sources, is presented in the Country Reviews(tm) in statistical tables on key macroeconomic trends and economic sectors. The economic data is organized in an easy-to-understand format. Foreign investment conditions are also covered along with a capsule description of stock market trends, for those countries where major stock markets exist, a listing of key enterprises. Also included is a summary of current environmental issues, natural hazards, international environmental agreements, and, for most countries, a table with time trends in Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Book Description "The wealth of historiographic resources, the command of relevant literature, the ethnographic research and prudent use of oral traditions give this work a high degree of . ...intellectual excitement. . . . a landmark in the field." --Warren d'Azevedo Making use of archival and oral resources in this extensively researched book, Paula Girshick Ben-Amos questions to what extent art operates as political strategy. How do objects acquire political meaning? How does the use of art enhance and embody power and authority?

Book Description The Fon, who are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Benin in West Africa, established the powerful kingdom of Dahomey in the early seventeenth century. In their capital city of Abomey, they built a remarkable complex of palaces, featuring walls decorated with colorful low-relief sculptures, or bas-reliefs, which recount legends and battles and glorify the history of their royal dynasty's reign. Over the centuries, these visual stories have represented and perpetuated the history and myths of the Fon people.

Palace Sculptures of Abomey combines lavish color photographs of the bas-reliefs with a lively history of the Dahomey kingdom, complemented by period drawings, rare historical photographs, and colorful textile art. The book provides a vivid portrait of these exceptional narrative sculptures and the equally remarkable people who crafted them. Also included is a discussion of the continuing popularity of bas-reliefs in contemporary West African art, a reading of the stories on the walls, and details of the four-year collaboration between the Benin Ministry of Culture and Communications and the Getty Conservation Institute to conserve the bas-reliefs of Abomey.