Contemporary Africa

Contemporary Africa
Author: Toyin Falola
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1004
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN:

Contemporary Africa, edited by Toyin Falola captures the challenges, optimism and problems that face modern Africa, notably those of economic underdevelopment and political instability. African countries seek various answers, and they have recorded varying degrees of success as they attempt to unite their peoples to build strong nations, develop their economies, and stabilize their politics. Failures have equally been recorded in a number of places, although these have not prevented the search for new solutions nor dampened the enthusiasm of Africans in liberating themselves from poverty. Among the leading issues that the volume pays attention to are: the achievements of independence, the colonial legacy, Africa's place in global affairs, economic development, political instability, and the challenges of renewal in the 21st century. This is the fifth volume in a series of textbooks entitled Africa. Contributors to the volumes are African Studies teachers from a variety of schools and settings. Writing from their individual areas of expertise, these authors work together to break stereotypes about Africa, focusing instead on the substantive issues of the African past from the perspectives of Africans themselves. The organization of the books is flexible enough to suit the needs of any instructor, and the texts include illustrations, maps and timelines to make cultural and historical movements clearer. Suggestions for further reading that will help students broaden their own interests are also included. Africa challenges the accepted ways of studying Africa and encourages students who are eager to learn about the diversity of the African experience.

Political Protest in Contemporary Africa

Political Protest in Contemporary Africa
Author: Lisa Mueller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2018-06-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108423671

Looking at protests from Senegal to Kenya, Lisa Mueller shows how cross-class coalitions fuel contemporary African protests across the continent.

Religions in Contemporary Africa

Religions in Contemporary Africa
Author: Laura S. Grillo
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2019-03-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1351260707

Religions in Contemporary Africa is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the three main religious traditions on the African continent, African indigenous religions, Christianity and Islam. The book provides a historical overview of these important traditions and focuses on the roles they play in African societies today. It includes social, cultural and political case studies from across the continent on the following topical issues: Witchcraft and modernity Power and politics Conflict and peace Media and popular culture Development Human rights Illness and health Gender and sexuality With suggestions for further reading, discussion questions, illustrations and a list of glossary terms this is the ideal textbook for students in religion, African studies and adjacent fields approaching this subject area for the first time.

Reframing Contemporary Africa

Reframing Contemporary Africa
Author: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010-01-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780872894075

It is impossible to study Africa without understanding the debate about how to study Africa. At last, a book showcases the complexities and paradoxes of Africa’s recent and more distant history, while avoiding simplistic, Eurocentric conceptualizations of “black Africa.” With this book, Peyi Soyinka-Aiwerele and Rita Kiki Edozie offer students the background and perspectives they need to comprehend the dynamics of the continent as well as a clear path through the current literature and scholarly debate. With a cross-disciplinary approach that features political, historical, and economic analysis as well as popular culture and sociological views on contemporary issues, Reframing Contemporary Africa provides an unparalleled breadth of coverage. Essays written by a distinguished and international group of scholars—including William Ackah, Pius Adesanmi, Susan Craddock, Caroline Elkins, Siba Grovogui, Mahmood Mamdani, Mutua Makau, Celestin Monga, Wole Soyinka, and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza—are designed to distill original scholarship for undergraduate readers. Each contribution helps students engage with the work and arguments of luminaries while exposing them to renowned African thinkers. Contributors deliver analysis that allows students to see beyond the clichés commonly presented in the media (and even in scholarship), and helpful section openers by Soyinka-Airewele and Edozie frame forthcoming chapters, giving important thematic and historical context. Reframing Contemporary Africa will certainly provoke new debate and reflection, not merely about African issues and politics, but also about the West and its framing of Africa.

Understanding Contemporary Africa

Understanding Contemporary Africa
Author: Peter J. Schraeder
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre: Africa
ISBN: 9781626378940

The sixth edition of Understanding Contemporary Africa, and the first under the editorship of Peter Schraeder, combines the historic strengths of the previous editions with coverage of new topics suggested over the years by the many instructors who regularly assign the text in their classes. Entirely new chapters on the politics of public health, the changing role of women, and LGBTQ rights, along with new treatments of such classic topics as geography, history, politics, economics, international relations, kinship, religion, and more, make for an unparalleled introduction to the complexities of Africa today.

Development In Modern Africa

Development In Modern Africa
Author: Martin S. Shanguhyia
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000721752

Development in Modern Africa: Past and Present Perspectives contributes to our understanding of Africa’s experiences with the development process. It does so by adopting a historical and contemporary analysis of this experience. The book is set within the context of critiques on development in Africa that have yielded two general categories of analysis: skepticism and pessimism. While not overlooking the shortcomings of development, the themes in the book express an optimistic view of Africa’s development experiences, highlighting elements that can be tapped into to enhance the condition of African populations and their states. By using case studies from precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial Africa, contributors to the volume demonstrate that human instincts to improve material, social and spiritual words are universal. They are not limited to the Western world, which the term and process of development are typically associated with. Before and after contact with the West, Africans have actively created institutions and values that they have actively employed to improve individual and community lives. This innovative spirit has motivated Africans to integrate or experiment with new values and structures, challenges, and solutions to human welfare that resulted from contact with colonialism and the postcolonial global community. The book will be of interest to academics in the fields of history, African studies, and regional studies.

Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa

Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa
Author: Naomi Chazan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 539
Release: 1999-11-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1349144908

Africa has undergone significant political, economic, and social change since the first edition of this book was published in early 1988. Now revised and updated throughout, this new edition includes current economic, social, and political data, as well as entirely new sections on the dismantling of apartheid, civil society, democratization and multiparty politics, economic reform and structural adjustment, and the prospects for African development in the twenty-first century. Review comments on the first edition: 'Required reading for any course on politics and society of the African continent' West Africa. 'The best available textbook on the subject ... this volume stands unchallenged in its comprehensiveness and sophistication.' - Choice

Cities in Contemporary Africa

Cities in Contemporary Africa
Author: M. Murray
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2007-01-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230603343

This book explains how and why cities on the African continent have grown at such a rapid pace, how municipal authorities have tried to cope with this massive influx of people, and how long-time urban residents and newcomers interact, negotiate, and struggle over access to limited resources.

Peacebuilding in Contemporary Africa

Peacebuilding in Contemporary Africa
Author: Kenneth Omeje
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2018-10-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351031449

Peacebuilding in Contemporary Africa explores the challenges and opportunities faced by countries and societies transitioning from armed conflicts to peace in contemporary Africa. It evaluates the effectiveness, outcomes and failures of existing peacebuilding initiatives implemented by stakeholders, and proposes new strategies and approaches to facilitate the transition. The book investigates both micro- and macro-level conflicts in various parts of Africa, as well as the efforts made to resolve them and build peace. The book pays particular attention to grassroots-based micro-level conflicts often disregarded in peacebuilding literature, which tends to focus on macro-level, neo-liberal state reconstruction and peacebuilding efforts. The book adopts an evidence-based, policy-relevant approach to peacebuilding in Africa. The various chapter contributors offer a lucid analysis and critique of some of the prevailing paradigms and strategies of peacebuilding practiced in Africa. Together, the authors recommend innovative strategies to mobilise and coordinate governance institutions and partnerships at all levels (international, regional, national, and local) to prevent conflict escalation in volatile states and advance the rebuilding of violence-affected states and communities. Peacebuilding in Contemporary Africa provides a much-needed perspective from African scholars, and will be of interest to students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners with an interest in promoting legitimate policy interventions and sustainable peace in Africa.

Contemporary Design Africa

Contemporary Design Africa
Author: Tapiwa Matsinde
Publisher:
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2015
Genre: Art, Modern
ISBN:

"Contemporary African Design offers a refreshing challenge to rigid perceptions of what African design looks like. Focusing primarily on interior decoration, the book presents fifty designers, artisans, and cooperatives based on the continent or part of the diaspora who are creating sophisticated and innovative products and interiors." --Publisher.