Social Structure & Stratification
What system grouped skilled workers into hereditary occupational groups?
The caste system
In communal societies, what were leadership roles primarily based on?
Religion and family ties
What region was described as the western extremity of Islamic empires?
The Maghreb
What two goods were central to trade in the Western Sudan?
Gold and salt
What is the name of the author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa?
Walter Rodney
What metal helped to increase food production and population growth?
Iron (notably the axe and the hoe)
What political institution developed alongside social stratification?
The state
What African region included Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires?
The Western Sudan (Ghana, Mali, and Songhai)
What animal enabled long-distance trade across the Sahara?
The camel
When was Walter Rodney assassinated?
June 13, 1980
Who gained power in some African societies by controlling land allocation, bride-price, and traditional exchanges?
Elders
What did early African states usually collect annually from subjects instead of constant taxation?
Tribute
What East African region developed states around lakes such as Victoria and Albert?
The interlacustrine zone
Who were the professional traveling merchants of the Western Sudan?
The Dioulas
What idea did Europeans often use to judge “civilization” in Africa, according to the reading?
The presence or absence of well-organized political states
What system required peasants to work for rulers for a set number of days per year?
Corvée labor
What type of societies had no coercive government or political structure beyond the village or family?
Stateless societies
What southern African civilization is known for large stone buildings like Great Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe
What type of exchange involved trading gold without direct contact between buyers and sellers?
Silent or dumb barter
What kind of societies does Rodney say existed in Africa before European contact?
A wide range including hunting bands, communalism, and feudalism
What type of relationship replaced kinship ties when one group conquered another?
A relationship of domination and subordination
What concept describes how the state and economic development influenced each other?
A dialectical relationship
What ancient African kingdom once rivaled Egypt and influenced later Nubian states?
Kush (Meroë)
What economic system had not yet become dominant in African societies according to the reading?
Capitalism
What criticism does Rodney make about how African history was traditionally studied by Europeans?
That it was treated as having little value and separated from historical context