“Djata seeks to connect his reconstruction of the history of the Middle Niger to larger issues of identity and identity formation in Africanist historiography. … His discussion of the role of Bamana forces in the occupation of Segu, which downplays French claims about their conquest, is particularly well developed … carefully researched using extensive archival documents supplemented with both Djata’s original oral research and oral research conducted by earlier scholars. Djata’s book is clearly written and is a worthy addition to the literature on the history of the Western Sudan, on the jihad period of West African history, and the imposition of colonial rule, as well as on issues of identity formation in Africa.”
— International Journal of African Historical Studies