The collection summarizes the results of research by leading Russian Africanists on a wide range of problems related to the historical consciousness of African societies in the colonial and post-colonial eras, which remains practically unstudied in domestic and foreign historical science. An attempt is made to explain the phenomenon of the birth of African historical thought and its national branches in their conflict and interaction with the Western historical tradition, and the main stages of its evolution are reconstructed, taking into account regional specifics. The analysis of the forms of African historical thought is carried out in a broad cultural-historical, socio-political and intercivilizational context. The results of the study are important both for studying the real past and for identifying special sign systems characteristic of African culture at the decisive stages of its development. The publication is intended for a wide range of readers, primarily historians, political scientists, cultural scientists, ethnologists, sociologists and journalists.