Antony G. Hopkins

Antony G. Hopkins (Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge) has since long been one of the leading economic historians of Africa, imperialism and globalization. His long list of publications includes ‘An Economic History of West Africa’ (1973) and ‘British Imperialism, 1688-2000’ (1993, with P.J. Cain) a fundamental and highly influential contribution in the field of African economic history. He also coined the term ‘new economic history of Africa’ (Journal of African History, 2009) to describe the recent surge of research in economics on the historical roots of African poverty.

Professor Hopkins delivered the third annual LEAP lecture on Wednesday, 3 October 2018. The Laboratory for the Economics of Africa’s Past (LEAP) is dedicated to the quantitative study of African economic history. It brings together scholars and students interested in understanding and explaining the long-term economic development of Africa’s diverse societies. LEAP is affiliated to the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.