Leo Frobenius Books

Frobenius' influential studies on African culture marked a significant advancement in ethnography, inspiring young African intellectuals in Europe during the early 1900s. His work played a crucial role in restoring the soul and identity of Black Africa, contributing to the emergence of the Négritude movement. This cultural renaissance aligned with the self-determination efforts of the Harlem Renaissance and was further developed by figures like Léopold Sédar Senghor, who later became Senegal's president. The book includes 24 illustrated plates.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Recognized for its significant contribution to literature, this book is preserved in its original print format to maintain its authenticity. Scholars and academicians value it as an essential part of the literary canon, ensuring its legacy for future generations. Any marks or annotations present are intentionally retained to reflect the book's true nature and historical context.

Culturally significant, this antiquarian book is a facsimile of the original, capturing its historical essence. Readers may encounter imperfections like marks and marginalia due to its age. The reprint aims to protect and promote literary heritage, offering an affordable, high-quality edition that remains true to the original work.

Focusing on the research of Leo Frobenius, the book explores his extensive expeditions in Africa from 1904 to 1935, highlighting regions such as Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Sudan, and the Congo. It presents his groundbreaking perspective that African cultures are equal to European ones, a rare view for his era. The content includes detailed studies of various African empires and ethnic groups, such as the Ghana and Mali empires, as well as the Yoruba, Nupe, and Haussa peoples, alongside a collection of African folk tales.

On his ninth expedition to southern Africa from 1928 to 1930, Leo Frobenius collected – besides his ethnographic and prehistoric research – 436 narrations in handwritten documentation. This collection, which is stored in the archives of the Frobenius Institute in Frankfurt/Germany, is the basis of the present study. This three volume work is supposed to offer the scholars concerned with narrative research and African oral literature in particular, as well as the historians interested in the lifework of Leo Frobenius, the opportunity to measure the capacious collection of narrations as a whole and to benefit from it according to the specifications of comparative and narrative research. By publishing these so far unhandled narrative texts in their original form, as recorded in German by Leo Frobenius, a further access to Frobenius’ oral-literary remains is provided. The English summarization together with capacious analysis and classification data offers a basis for further detailed research within the international comparative field. Furthermore, the present narrative texts indicate the beginning of anthropological research on Africa in the twenties and offer the members of indigenous ethnics groups of southern Africa, who search for the roots of their cultural assets, the opportunity to get into contact with the narrative property of their ancestors. Incl. 3 volumes

Mit den ersten Menschen begann es. Mythen erzählen, wie sie zu ihrem Geschlecht kommen, wie Frauen und Männer sich entdecken. Schwänke berichten von den vielfältigen Methoden, Ehegatten und Eltern auszutricksen. Männer erliegen stolzen Frauen, die sich ihr Glück zu holen wissen. In allen Spielarten von Verführung, Leidenschaft und Eifersucht begegnen sich die Auserwählten: von der großen Sage des Untergangs eines alten Brauches durch die Kraft einer leidenschaftlichen Liebe und die Macht des Geschichtenerzählens bis zur leichtfüßigen Geschichte vom allwissenden Schmied, der mit der falschen Frau schläft.

Mit gigantischer und wachsender Macht, in bisher ungeahnter Großartigkeit erscheint das Gebäude der afrikanischen Kulturgeschichte demjenigen, der näher hinschaut. Noch hält den Betrachter Ehrfurcht und Ergriffenheit davon ab, solche Herrlichkeit nicht nur als wirklich, sondern auch als tatsächlich zu erachten. Kühnheit und Mut gehören dazu, den Blick über die Silhouette der verblassenden Vorstellung der vergangenen Jahrhunderte hinweg, nicht nur ahnend auf die am Horizont emporsteigende Großwelt hinzurich-ten, sondern den Blick forschend auf ihr ruhen zu lassen. Merke: Frei von der Furcht, dass das sich Darbietende zuletzt doch nur als Nebelge-bilde verfliegt, wird kein Beschauer sein. Selbst der Autor nicht. Aber er hat es gewagt, in dem Buch zur Kulturgeschichte Afrikas, sich von den letzten Resten alter Vorstellung zu lösen und dem Sinn-bedürfnis neuer Anschauung hinzugeben. Es ergab sich damit ganz von selbst die Forderung, nicht nur die Kulturgeschichte eines einzelnen Erdteiles, sondern die Prinzipien einer morpholo-gischen Kulturgeschichte insgesamt darzulegen. Entstanden ist eines der großartigsten Werke zur Kulturgeschichte überhaupt.