This textbook offers a critical introduction to the study of Africa, drawing on scholarship from a range of academic disciplines. A comprehensive discussion of the continent's geography and history provides a backdrop to broad-ranging coverage of its social, economic, political and cultural composition as well as its future prospects. Moreover, moving beyond the all-too-common tendency to view Africa as a single, homogeneous entity, Graham provides a nuanced overview that challenges preconceptions and stereotypes.Written in a sophisticated yet accessible style, and supported by a range of pedagogical features, this book introduces undergraduate students from a range of different disciplinary backgrounds to the contemporary study of Africa.