"Largely written by a panel of more than two dozen historians (who marshal an impressive body of research in their footnote citations), the work focuses on leveraging the scholarly community's expanding understanding of the past to foster 'meaningful solidarity between two communities who share a seventy-five-year history and who are prepared to look this past in the eye together.' . A well-researched, timely exploration of the legacy and relevance of colonialism to contemporary society." -Kirkus Reviews "This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the colonial Congo. This fascinating edited collection offers cutting-edge knowledge in a innovative and refreshingly engaging question and answer format." Reuben Loffman, School of History, Queen Mary, University of London "I applaud the appearance of an English translation of this extremely important volume. Cleverly organized around a series of pressing historiographical questions, Colonial Congo brings together an impressive cohort of both established and emerging historians of Congo. All the contributors to the collection succeed in marrying accessibility with scholarly rigour - hardly to be taken for granted in a field which has aroused great political passion and controversy ab initio.

Students and teachers of central African history have every reason to be grateful to the editors of Colonial Congo: this is the teaching and learning tool they have long been waiting for." Giacomo Macola, Universita La Sapienza, Rome, Italy "State of the art of historical research on Belgian colonial past and twentieth-century DRC, the volume is on the forefront of social science research. The volume covers a wide spectrum of issues, from arts to zoology, with every chapter providing an easy-to-follow summary of current scholarly knowledge followed by a very useful bibliographical guide. It lives up to its editors' engagement to provide the academic knowledge as usable past directly 'from producer to consumer, without intermediaries'. Getting rid of polemical fixation about Belgian colonial past, the volume authors connect Belgian-Congolese history to a wider historical context, an important contribution to general public awareness. In the last chapter, Isidore Ndaywel e Nziem, a leading Congolese scholar, stresses the need to free Belgian-Congolese relations from the colonial situation straitjacket. According to him, recognizing shared - even if they are divided - memory as common heritage needs to be the starting point for building a better relationship. This volume is an outstanding contribution to the public history of Belgium's colonial past and its postcolonial polemics.

" Bogumil Jewsiewicki, Laval University.