The conversation with sources is at the heart of the historical profession. Men and women of past times have left messages and traces in a variety of forms - orally transmitted, written, material, visual etc. Men and women of today try to interpret these sources in an attempt to understand human action in its historical context. What may, at first sight, seem like a straightforward dialogue between source and historian, hardly ever is. Neither the messages and traces, nor the historical interpretation, nor the availability and accessibility of the source itself turn out to be self-evident. This volume provides practical examples of and methodological reflections on working with sources for African history and culture. It includes cases from across the continent, from pre-colonial times to the present, from history and other disciplines drawing on the conversation with sources, and it includes transregional relations, conceptual reflections and attention for politics of history. The organization of the volume reflects the research interests of Adam Jones and underscores that his academic trajectory provides a relevant backdrop for a volume about the use of sources and methods for African history and culture.

Geert Castryck is senior researcher at the Centre for Area Studies of Leipzig University and visiting professor of African history at Ghent University. He teaches African and global history at both universities. He studied history and Oriental studies in Ghent and received his PhD in 2006 for a dissertation about the Muslim communities of Bujumbura (Burundi) in the colonial era. He has done research about remembrance education and colonial legacies, and since 2010 he works on a global history of the East Central African town of Kigoma-Ujiji.