Final answer:
African history is studied using oral traditions, archaeology, written records, and ethnography, with an emphasis on evaluating sources critically due to the lack of pre-colonial written texts and the biases in colonial documents.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sources and techniques used for studying African history include oral traditions, like the praise songs and accounts from Griots, as well as archaeology, written records, and ethnography. Due to the scarcity of pre-colonial written texts from Africa, historians rely heavily on oral traditions to reconstruct the past. Archaeology provides tangible evidence through artifacts, and ethnographic studies offer insights into the cultural practices of various African communities. Historians must also navigate the challenges posed by the biases in colonial documents and utilize linguistics to understand historical languages and communication patterns.
It's essential that historians evaluate all these sources critically, understanding their context and seeking corroborative evidence. Texts provide clarity about the past, but non-written sources such as oral traditions and archaeological artifacts hold significant value in many cases, particularly when written records are sparse or non-existent. The diverse sources for African history help to build a comprehensive understanding that is more accurate and inclusive of the different narratives that shape the continent's past.