Paths in the Rainforests: Toward a History of Political Tradition in Equatorial Africa

“Until the publication of Paths in the Rainforests, it was difficult to make more than superficial attacks on the widespread myth that Central African peoples live in ‘impenetrable jungles as their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.’ Even those few among the 200-plus small scale societies that we have understood in some depth have seemed isolated in time and space. Jan Vansina’s Paths makes a truly significant contribution to African history by providing a solid framework for the description and integration of a millennium of evolution of the many societies of the vast rainforests."-Curtis A. Keim, African Studies ReviewVansina, Jan is the author of 'Paths in the Rainforests: Toward a History of Political Tradition in Equatorial Africa', published 1990 under ISBN 9780299125745 and ISBN 0299125742.