Hani Morgan’s examination of American textbooks from 1898 to 1994 found a decline over time in the most negative portrayals of Islamic culture and people, but also found that the textbooks continue to reflect biases about this part of the world and fail to include pictures showing how most people actually live

The movement to decolonize natural history and art museums has impacted the study of fossils. A new generation of paleontologists, including Mohamad Bazzi and Yara Haridy, engage in efforts to decolonize the way in which paleontologists operate. Bazzi’s approach to a dig in Gafsa, Tunisia included inviting the residents of the town to learn about the fossils dug up by his team. Through negotiations with the townspeople, Bazzi agreed that any fossils removed from the area would be returned once the research was completed. In another collaborative effort, Bazzi partnered with Tunisian workers and students to help excavate the ruins of a museum that held some fossils and human skeletons in Métlaoui, Tunisia. Building partnerships with African researchers, students, and residents increases the desire of local communities to study and preserve fossils and it encourages African governments to fund paleontological sites. Such efforts go a long way to overcoming the legacy of colonialism.57

The division of Africa ignores centuries of interchange and interaction between North Africa and the rest of Africa. By lumping together the 48 countries classified as Sub-Saharan Africa, it also glosses over the diverse regions of Central, East, Southern and West Africa.13 In this book we talk about the whole of Africa as Africa because the issues we discuss are relevant for the whole.

Africa is just one large country. Africa is poor and disease ridden. Africa is technologically backward. Africans all live in huts. Africa needs aid to help it “develop.” Africans all speak “African” and share the same culture. Africa is filled with dangerous animals. Africa is dangerous and violent. Africa is mostly jungle. Egypt is not truly African. Africa has no history. African women are all oppressed.4

And we know that Africa is a place of famine, disease, poverty, coups, and large wild animals.