Benin (Hardcover)

Benin, known prior to 1975 as Dahomey, is one of the smaller coastal states in West Africa, bordering on Nigeria to the east, the Niger River to the north, and Togo to the west. Most of southern Benin once formed part of the pre-colonial Dahomey kingdom, whose economy was largely geared to warfare and the capture of slaves who were sold to European traders. Dahomey was one of the best-documented West African kingdoms prior to the French conquest in the 1880s; independence was achieved in 1960. This volume provides an authoritative and up-to-date account of the literature on Benin in both English and French.