African Europeans

A dazzling, landmark history of Africans in Europe, revealing old and diverse links between the two continents. The presence of people of African descent in Europe is widely believed to be a recent phenomenon, but as early as the third century, St Maurice - an Egyptian - was said to have become leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion. Ever since, there have been richly varied encounters between those defined as 'Africans' and those called 'Europeans'. In African Europeans, Olivette Otele traces a long heritage of African Europeans through the lives of individuals both ordinary and extraordinary. She uncovers a forgotten past, from Emperor Septimius Severus to enslaved Africans living in Europe during the Renaissance, all the way to present-day migrants moving to Europe's cities. By exploring a history that has been long overlooked, she sheds light on questions very much alive today - on racism, identity, citizenship, power and resilience. This is a landmark account of a crucial but overlooked thread in Europe's complex history. (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Limited