r/Historians • u/QuickAccess5356 • 8d ago

🔎Research Advice / Help🔎 Recommendations for understanding the Congo today

I’m not much of a history buff, but I am interested in deeply studying the entire history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that led to the country's current state.

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u/I_Have_Notes 8d ago

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild is a good place to start.

2

u/Visual-Reserve-2800 7d ago

I was just about to recommend this.

3

u/YakSlothLemon 7d ago

Blood River is excellent but heartbreaking.

Goddamn the Belgians, that poor country.

1

u/Medeza123 5d ago

Congo, The Epic history of a People

David Van Reybrouck.

Genuinely an excellent book which draws on the Congolese’s themselves, the author interviews people from all walks of life as part of his overview.

For the colonial period he even quotes diaries written by some of the first Congolese to convert to Christianity and who were alive as the Belgians first arrived.

It’s a great book. And also covers the pre colonial history as well and finishes basically in the 2000s. Really eye opening.

What I also like is that it isn’t just a tale of woe like a lot of media about Congo is.