This article presents a detailed overview of Congolese historiography since its beginnings in the early 1960s until the present. This field of study was slow in taking form all over Africa largely due to the paucity of written documents, which was perceived as a methodological obstacle. Reliance on non-written sources of information gradually made the approach possible. Historical work by Congolese, Europeans and Americans rapidly gained momentum due to the presence of Congo experts in research centres and university departments in and beyond the Congo. Their diverse historical production over the past 40 years ranges from methodological and epistemological essays to multiple forms of recourse to oral sources and archives. Promising work in the 1960s waned, nonetheless, reflecting the overall problems of post-colonial Congo and the chronic crisis of Belgo-Congolese cooperation. The renewal of scientific and methodological synergies will be needed to manage research funds more efficiently and to capitalise on cross-cultural exchanges.