75

This article reviews the meanings, genealogies, and uses of the notion of historicity in African studies. From the longue durée historical character of African societies to the interconnection of temporalities, passing through the vernacular and academic experiences of the past, it appears that the popularization of the notion has led to the multiplication of its uses. Taking a precise look at these differences helps us to distinguish history and memory from historicity, understood here as the processual relationship that social actors have with time. These historicities, qualified as vernacular, are sometimes set in opposition to academic history, but history can be seized by individuals and organizations to be reinterpreted, transformed, silenced, or ignored. Exploring these social uses of temporalities might open up a field of research that is attentive to history as a cause.