par Matonda Sakala, Igor 
Référence Cahiers d'études africaines, 224, 4, page (845-873)
Publication Publié, 2016
Référence Cahiers d'études africaines, 224, 4, page (845-873)
Publication Publié, 2016
Article révisé par les pairs
| Résumé : | In an article published in 1977, John K. Thornton examined the baptismal records of the Capuchins to reconstruct the total population of the Kingdom of Kongo and rejected the thesis previously defended, among others, by William G. L. Randles (1968) regarding the extraordinary decline of this population due to the slave trade, civil wars and epidemics. Thornton concluded that, contrary to the estimates of previous authors, the area around the Inkisi basin was sparsely populated. He remained faithful to this thesis in his later research. This article takes a new look at these hypotheses and argues in favour of the earlier theory regarding an exceptional depopulation in the Kongo kingdom. It underscores that the eastern part of the kingdom, and notably the Inkisi basin, was a highly populated region. Indeed, we argue that to establish the total population of the Kingdom it is necessary to take into account not only data from baptismal records, but also the estimates of authors from the period since baptisms alone are not a valid measure in some areas. Thus, Thornton's quantitative recalculation of the population of the Inkisi basin and throughout the Kongo kingdom is questionable. |
