Contributions to a thematic issue for 2018 (issue No. 9) of the online journal Afriques. Débats, méthodes et terrains d'histoire
African material culture is featured in art museums around the world, but the proliferation of exhibitions often masks a poverty of research into the history of all but the most recent African art. If ancient African cultures constitute the poor cousin of African historical studies, the history of early art forms - with the notable exception of Ife and Benin - can barely be said to exist.