The continuous publication over 120 years of African Affairs, originally the Journal of the African Society, provides an invaluable source for charting Britain’s shifting perceptions of and interaction with Africa. Though limited, its readership included many of those most closely involved in Britain with studying and engaging with Africa during the 20th century. The journal charts a significant change: from an initial curiosity about Africa that included Africans’ own perception of and writing about their world; through a period when imperial perspectives on how to rule and how to develop African colonies dominated; to a more academic analysis of the dynamics of independence and how independent African countries subsequently evolved; and finally to a growing engagement with African scholars themselves and African perceptions of the changes taking place on the continent. At each stage a number of themes emerge that illuminate our understanding of how Africa was seen and interpreted by the British and, latterly, by Africans.

中文翻译：

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解读非洲：非洲事务中的帝国主义与独立

连续出版了 120 多年的《非洲事务》，最初是《非洲社会杂志》，为描绘英国对非洲不断变化的看法和与非洲的互动提供了宝贵的资料。虽然有限，但它的读者群中包括许多在 20 世纪最密切参与英国学习和接触非洲的人。该杂志描绘了一个重大变化：从最初对非洲的好奇心，包括非洲人自己对世界的看法和写作；经历帝国关于如何统治和如何发展非洲殖民地的观点占主导地位的时期；对独立的动态以及独立的非洲国家随后如何演变进行更学术的分析；最后是与非洲学者本身的日益接触以及非洲对非洲大陆正在发生的变化的看法。在每个阶段都会出现一些主题，这些主题阐明了我们对英国以及后来非洲人如何看待和解释非洲的理解。