Jan Vansina

Jan Vansina was a Belgian scholar renowned for his work in studying African history and cultures. He pioneered methods of understanding oral traditions—stories, songs, and legends passed down verbally—to reconstruct past events and societies. Unlike relying solely on written records, Vansina showed that oral histories are valuable sources of historical knowledge when carefully analyzed. His work helped bridge the gap between history and anthropology, emphasizing the richness of African cultural memory and challenging earlier academic assumptions. Overall, he transformed how historians study societies lacking written records, highlighting the importance of oral tradition in understanding human history.