African history Books

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Book Synopsis''A historically insightful read''Financial Times ''A wry, rollicking, and provocative history'' Michael Taylor, author of The InterestA thought-provoking analysis of Africa''s relationship with economic imperialism' Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, authors of It's A ContinentWe need to think differently about African economics.For centuries, Westerners have tried to fix' African economies. From the abolition of slavery onwards, missionaries, philanthropists, development economists and NGOs have arrived on the continent, full of good intentions and bad ideas. Their experiments have invariably gone awry, to the great surprise of all involved.In this short, bold story of Western economic thought about Africa, historian Bronwen Everill argues that these interventions fail because they start from a misguided premise: that African economies just need to be more like the West. Ignoring Africa''s own traditions of economic thought, Europeans and Americans assumed a set of universal economic laws that they thought could be applied anywhere. They enforced specifically Western ideas about growth, wealth, debt, unemployment, inflation, women's work and more, and used Western metrics to find African countries wanting.The West does not know better than African nations how an economy should be run. By laying bare the myths and realities of our tangled economic history, Africonomics moves from Western ignorance to African knowledge.*Shortlisted for the BCA African Business Book of the Year*

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Book SynopsisPhilip Gourevitch is the author of We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. He is a staff writer for the New Yorker and editor of the Paris Review.

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Book Synopsis''A historically insightful read''Financial Times ''A wry, rollicking, and provocative history'' Michael Taylor, author of The InterestA thought-provoking analysis of Africa''s relationship with economic imperialism' Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, authors of It's A ContinentWe need to think differently about African economics.For centuries, Westerners have tried to fix' African economies. From the abolition of slavery onwards, missionaries, philanthropists, development economists and NGOs have arrived on the continent, full of good intentions and bad ideas. Their experiments have invariably gone awry, to the great surprise of all involved.In this short, bold story of Western economic thought about Africa, historian Bronwen Everill argues that these interventions fail because they start from a misguided premise: that African economies just need to be more like the West. Ignoring Africa''s own traditions of economic thought, Europeans and Americans assumed a set of universal economic laws that they thought could be applied anywhere. They enforced specifically Western ideas about growth, wealth, debt, unemployment, inflation, women's work and more, and used Western metrics to find African countries wanting.The West does not know better than African nations how an economy should be run. By laying bare the myths and realities of our tangled economic history, Africonomics moves from Western ignorance to African knowledge.*Shortlisted for the BCA African Business Book of the Year*

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Book SynopsisWhat happens when we consider Africa through a feminist lens and feminism through an African one? And what does it mean to centre selfhood in this journey?

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Book SynopsisTrapped in History tells how the British colonised Kenya and how African nationalism arose under Jomo Kenyatta. It describes the terrifying first attacks by the guerrilla freedom fighters known as Mau Mau. Though defeated, the Mau Mau hastened the end of British rule in Kenya. Trapped in History explores the effect the uprising on the author, who grew up as a child in the Kenya colony.The book is both a history, as well as a memoir, of the end of Empire.

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Book SynopsisThe “enlightening” (The Guardian) true story of the last ship to carry enslaved people to America, the remarkable town its survivors’ founded after emancipation, and the complicated legacy their descendants carry with them to this day—by the journalist who discovered the ship’s remains.Fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed, the Clotilda became the last ship in history to bring enslaved Africans to the United States. The ship was scuttled and burned on arrival to hide the wealthy perpetrators to escape prosecution. Despite numerous efforts to find the sunken wreck, Clotilda remained hidden for the next 160 years. But in 2019, journalist Ben Raines made international news when he successfully concluded his obsessive quest through the swamps of Alabama to uncover one of our nation’s most important historical artifacts. Traveling from Alabama to the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey in modern-day Benin, Raines recounts the ship’s perilous journey, the story of its rediscovery, and its complex legacy. Against all odds, Africatown, the Alabama community founded by the captives of the Clotilda, prospered in the Jim Crow South. Zora Neale Hurston visited in 1927 to interview Cudjo Lewis, telling the story of his enslavement in the New York Times bestseller Barracoon. And yet the haunting memory of bondage has been passed on through generations. Clotilda is a ghost haunting three communities—the descendants of those transported into slavery, the descendants of their fellow Africans who sold them, and the descendants of their fellow American enslavers. This connection binds these groups together to this day. At the turn of the century, descendants of the captain who financed the Clotilda’s journey lived nearby—where, as significant players in the local real estate market, they disenfranchised and impoverished residents of Africatown. From these parallel stories emerges a profound depiction of America as it struggles to grapple with the traumatic past of slavery and the ways in which racial oppression continues to this day. And yet, at its heart, The Last Slave Ship remains optimistic—an epic tale of one community’s triumphs over great adversity and a celebration of the power of human curiosity to uncover the truth about our past and heal its wounds.Trade Review"The fast-paced narrative begins with the voyage and follows the Clotilda’s survivors beyond the Civil War....Raines vividly conjures the watery landscape into which the Africans stepped... Knowledge of these waterways also led Raines to locate the Clotilda in a place previous searchers had ignored." — The New York Times (Editors' Choice) "In our uncertain times, The Last Slave Ship.. is a welcome and affecting history lesson... Enlightening." — The Guardian "A multidimensional exploration of the Clotilda, its bad actors and the descendants of the survivors... an important, weighty, timely read." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Ben Raines made headlines in 2019 when he discovered the remains of the Clotilda, the last ship to bring enslaved people to America. His gripping, affecting book chronicles his search for the vessel in the swamps of Alabama and tells the stories of its captives and their descendants."— The Christian Science Monitor (Best Books of February) "The Last Slave Ship is an action-packed, whip-smart true account that’s filled with science, history, and compassion. Readers will devour it." — The Washington Informer "Ben Raines’ passionate detective work led him to discover the most famous slave shipwreck… Raines has written a crucial chapter in this unique story of loss and exploitation, but also of unsurmountable strength and hopefulness. An inspiring and captivating book.” — Sylviane A. Diouf, PhD, author of Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America "The Last Slave Ship is all at once the true story of a terrible crime and its survivors, a riveting account of discovering the evidence its perpetrators hoped would never be found, and a moving attempt to grapple with its legacy. We may never ultimately be able to reckon adequately with slavery, but Ben Raines reminds us that the task’s immensity is no excuse for neglecting it. This is a powerful and important book."— Joshua Rothman, the Dept. of History professor at University of Alabama "Raines’ adroit descriptions of the people and events triggered by the voyage of Clotilda are not only riveting, but speak to the true spirits of all involved." — Darron Patterson, President of The Clotilda Descendants Association "An evocative and informative tale of exploitation, deceit, and resilience.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A highly readable, elucidating narrative that investigates all the layers of a traumatic history.— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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Book SynopsisMoroccan Other-Archives investigates how histories of exclusion and silencing are written and rewritten in a postcolonial context that lacks organized and accessible archives. The book draws on cultural production concerning the “years of lead”—a period of authoritarianism and political violence between Morocco’s independence in 1956 and the death of King Hassan II in 1999—to examine the transformative roles memory and trauma play in reconstructing stories of three historically marginalized groups in Moroccan history: Berbers/Imazighen, Jews, and political prisoners. The book shows how Moroccan cultural production has become an other-archive: a set of textual, sonic, embodied, and visual sites that recover real or reimagined voices of these formerly suppressed and silenced constituencies of Moroccan society. Combining theoretical discussions with close reading of literary works, the book reenvisions both archives and the nation in postcolonial Morocco. By producing other-archives, Moroccan cultural creators transform the losses state violence inflicted on society during the years of lead into a source of civic engagement and historiographical agency, enabling the writing of histories about those Moroccans who have been excluded from official documentation and state-sanctioned histories. The book is multilingual and interdisciplinary, examining primary sources in Amazigh/Berber, Arabic, Darija, and French, and drawing on memory studies, literary theory, archival studies, anthropology, and historiography. In addition to showing how other-archives are created and operate, El Guabli elaborates how language, gender, class, race, and geographical distribution are co-constitutive of a historical and archival unsilencing that is foundational to citizenship in Morocco today.Table of ContentsPreface | ix Note on Transliteration | xiii List of Abbreviations | xv Introduction | 1 1. (Re)Invented Tradition and the Performance of Amazigh Other- Archives in Public Life | 26 2. Emplaced Memories of Jewish- Muslim Morocco | 63 3. Jewish- Muslim Intimacy and the History of a Lost Citizenship | 89 4. Making Tazmamart a Transnational Other- Archive | 115 5. Other- Archives Transform Moroccan Historiography | 150 Conclusion | 177 Acknowledgments | 189 Notes | 193 Bibliography | 253 Index | 281

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Seeing the Unseen's broadest impact will be its revisionist call for scholars to both recognize and abandon the structures of knowledge that have shaped the representation of African histories and worldviews, flattened African identities, and reinforced dangerous misconceptions of African lives as bounded by ethnicity, language, and tradition."—Victoria L. Rovine, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsNote on NamesIntroduction1. Power Associations2. Assemblages3. Performers and Performances4. Unseeing Audiences5. Komo on ScreenCodaNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHistory is rife with tales of fighting women. More often than not, these stories prove more legend than history. Dating back to the Amazons of ancient Asia Minor, myths of fierce, autonomous women of martial excellence abound. And yet, the only thoroughly documented Amazons in world history are the women warriors of Dahomey, an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Western African kingdom. Once dubbed a "small black Sparta," residents of Dahomey shared with the Spartans an intense militarism and sense of collectivism. Moreover, the women of both kingdoms prided themselves on bodies hardened from childhood by rigorous physical exercise. But Spartan women kept in shape to breed male warriors, Dahomean Amazons to kill them. Originally palace guards, the Amazons had evolved by the 1760s into professional troops armed mainly with muskets, machetes and clubs. Theoretically wives of the king and quartered in his palaces, they were sworn to celibacy on pain of death. In compensation they enjoyed a semi-sacred status and numerous privileges, including the right to own slaves. By the 1840s their numbers had grown to 6,000. The Amazons served under female officers and had their own bands, flags and insignia: they outdrilled, outshot and outfought men, became frontline troops and fought tenaciously and with great valour till the kingdom's defeat by France in 1892. The product of meticulous archival research, Amazons of Black Sparta is defined by Alpern's gift for narrative and will stand as the most comprehensive and accessible account of the woman warriors of Dahomey.Trade ReviewAlpern draws together the available material on this peculiar institution into an interesting and readable book. The author's meticulous literary and archival research indicates that these females were indeed formidable warriors in the turbulent nineteenth-century era of the slave trade and subsequent European colonial conquest ... Alpern's work is an informative study. -- W. Arens, ChoiceAlpern does very well in assembling most of the evidence about these intimidating women whose courage impressed even the Foreign Legion. He produces a very detailed picture from a wide variety of European and African sources. He provides a readable narrative of Dahomean military history from the state's origins to its defeat by France in 1892, ... [and] a mass of information on what these women wore, ate and sang, how they were recruited, trained and mobilised. -- Richard Rathbone, The TimesAlpern has written an impressively comprehensive study covering all aspects of this extraordinary military force - he describes them in fascinating detail - Altogether he has made an important scholarly contribution to the history of nineteenth-century West Africa in which the Amazon achievement has until now been scarcely mentioned. -- Christopher Fyfe, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History… and today they [the Amazons] exist as no more than footnotes to history. Only one scholarly work has been written about these women, Amazons of Black Sparta by Stanley B. Alpern. -- Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s NestA succint, yet comprehensive, survey of the history of Dahomey. ... Alpern is by no means the first writer to give an account of the Amazons of Dahomey. Yet, his is by far the most detailed and most convincing. ... Truly, Alpern's portrait of the Amazons is a well deserved encomium to the courage and dedication of these intrepid women warriors. ... [and] the feather in the cap of this extremely well-written book is [its] remarkable empathy. -- Africa Review of Books

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Frantz Fanon Prize, Caribbean Philosophical Association""Winner of the ASA Best Book Prize, African Studies Association""Winner of the First Book Award, Foundations of Political Theory Section of the American Political Science Association""Co-Winner of the W.E.B. Du Bois Distinguished Book Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientists""Co-Winner of the J. David Greenstone Book Prize, Politics & History Section of the American Political Science Association""Winner of the ISA Theory Best Book, Theory Section of the International Studies Association""One of Foreign Affairs' Best Books of 2020""It’s been a bad decade for politics, but a great decade for political theory. Three standouts for me were Shatema Threadcraft’s Intimate Justice, Adom Getachew’s Worldmaking after Empire, and Kathi Weeks’s The Problem With Work."---Amia Srinivasan, The Chronicle of Higher Education"[A] marvellous book . . . tracing a new narrative of the nature and significance of anti-colonial thought and politics over the middle decades of the 20th century. Challenging the standard view of decolonisation as a moment of European-style nationbuilding, Getatchew offers instead an account of anti-colonial theory and practice as "worldmaking"."---Jonathan Egid, New Humanist"A compelling look at how Black internationalist thought evolved throughout the postcolonial period and how its successes and failures . . . continue to shape global politics today."---Jennifer Williams, Foreign Policy

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Book SynopsisA riveting study of Africa's demographics – its youth and growth – and what they mean for the continent, today and into the future. 'Essential reading' Guardian 'Intensely researched – and very important!' The Week 'The research in Youthquake is meticulous' Tim Marshall, Reaction 'Attempts to end the hysteria and ignorance surrounding demographic trends' New Statesman 'Meticulously researched, nuanced and brilliant' Mary Harper Africa's population growth in the last 50 years has been unprecedented. By mid-century, the continent will make up a quarter of the global population, compared to one-tenth in 1980. Africa's youth is the most striking aspect of its demography. As the rest of the world ages, almost 60 per cent of Africa's population is younger than 25 years old. This 'youthquake' will have immense consequences for the social, economic and political reality in Africa. Edward Paice presents a detailed, nuanced analysis of the varied demography of Africa. He rejects the fanciful over-optimism of some commentators and doom-laden prophecies of others, while scrutinising received wisdom, and carefully considering the ramifications of the youthquake for Africa and the world.Trade ReviewEssential reading for anyone who wants to understand Africa and its place in the world * Guardian *Paice's attempt to end the hysteria and ignorance surrounding demographic trends, and to remind us that how we respond to them is above all a political question, will increase understanding of the possibilities and challenges facing the world * New Statesman *The research in Youthquake is meticulous – there are more than 70 graphs and hundreds of facts -- Tim Marshall, ReactionAn in-depth look at Africa's population data, while calling for a sense of humility in discussions around this topic * Irish Times *One of the great qualities of this fascinating book is even-handedness... Very sober, very fact-based, non-ideological – cool, calm and collected -- Mark Steyn, GB NewsThe youth bulge heading Africa's way is real, and in the next 30 years it will throw up economic, social and political problems for African states the like of which the world has never before witnessed. This demographic surge is neither a catastrophe nor a boon, but it is a wicked problem: one for which there is no easy or satisfactory solution. In this utterly compelling and important book, Edward Paice disentangles the facts from the fictions, the truths from the falsehoods, and tells us why Africa's future will shape the futures of us all. This is a book none of us should ignore -- David M. Anderson, Professor of African History, University of WarwickThis meticulously researched, nuanced and brilliant book takes apart simplistic, hysterical myths about Africa's population growth and what it means for the continent and the rest of the world. It presents a powerful case for Africa to be viewed as central, not peripheral, to the future, making up a quarter of the world's population by 2050 and providing about one-third of its working-age population -- Mary Harper, Africa Editor, BBC World Service NewsIf there is one book to choose that dissects the demography of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, then this is it. Edward Paice has achieved the feat of assembling the data and examining the trends by country to show the possibilities and challenges that come with fertility trends moving at different speeds. Required reading for those interested in Africa's development -- Kwame Owino, CEO, The Institute of Economic Affairs (Kenya)I greatly admired the author's command of Africa's demography and particularly appreciated his demolition of the demographic dividend -- John Cleland, former Professor of Medical Demography at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Fellow of the British AcademyPaice's text is heavy on statistics, but the goulash of arithmetic is easy to digest, as well as spiced with plenty of numerical eye-poppers * Spectator *Intensely researched – and very important! * The Week *Paice's excellent book [...] convincingly makes the point that African demography is a matter of truly universal importance -- Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute at Columbia UniversityPaice's book is a monument of industry, a mine of information and invaluable reading for anyone who wants to understand the scale and implications of Africa's demographic growth -- Nick Westcott, African Affairs

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Book SynopsisTogether, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, and the Institut des Musées Nationaux du Zaire (IMNZ) in the Congo have defined and marketed Congolese art and culture.Trade Review“This masterful study of Belgian and Congolese collecting and exhibitions of African arts, and the murky heritage politics so implied, offers insights for understanding colonial and postcolonial histories of representation anywhere in the world.”“Authentically African successfully shows how colonial tensions between politics and creativity left their imprint on colonial as well as on postcolonial Congo… this book remains a necessary introduction to some key chapters in the rich and complex entrance of arts premiers into world cultural histories.” * American Historical Review *“This is an important book that fills a gap in our knowledge about museums in this geographical area as well as our understanding of the role of political ideologies, a topic which has been well covered in South Africa, for example, but not as much by scholars in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. … An impressive analysis.” * Museum Anthropology Review *“This well-informed book is the result of a careful inquiry carried out ‘on the spot’ in Congo, Belgium, and North America. … Authentically African successfully shows how colonial tensions between politics and creativity left their imprint on colonial as well as on postcolonial Congo. … This book remains a necessary introduction to some key chapters in the rich and complex entrance of arts premiers into world cultural histories.” * American Historical Review *“[An] impressive exploration of how and postcolonial powers in former Zaire utilized ‘cultural guardianship’ to justify their political legitimacy and to establish cultural and political economies nationally and internationally.” * African Studies Quarterly *“Authentically African is an impressively researched study of material culture and its institutions in the construction of Congolese cultural and political projects. Van Beurden’s fascinating examination of objects and collections in cultural and political economies makes a significant contribution to several bodies of scholarship, from those focused on material culture, heritage, and identity politics to those concerned with African cultural institutions as part of the global landscape.”

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Book SynopsisThrough detailed archival research, Hanson reveals the origins of Uganda’s strategies for good government—assembly, assent, and powerful gifts—and explains why East African party politics often fail.Trade ReviewIn this thought-provoking new book Holly Hanson has cut clean through the conventional but hated three-part periodization of African historiography—pre-colonial, colonial, and postcolonial—with its equally unhelpful oppositions of tradition and modernity. With persuasive evidence she shows that Ugandans have for centuries sought consultative, accountable governance, often with institutional checks on the caprice of kings, governors, or presidents. They have long spoken up in public in the conviction that loyalty from below deserves attention from above, and now hope that premodern strategies to secure good governance will help to conjure up a better modernity. -- John Lonsdale, coauthor of Unhappy Valley: Conflict in Kenya and AfricaThis book ‘speaks loudly’ in the hope that it will ‘be heard.’ Holly Hanson successfully demonstrates how in pursuit of a just and moral polity, physical and conceptual spaces created out of people’s presence and actions provided an opportunity through which people can speak to the powerful and expect to be heard. To Speak and be Heard is a prototype of how a blended study of overt ‘spaces’ and ‘speaking’ can reveal larger political engagement and accountability trends in a complex and rapidly changing world. It superbly demonstrates how those trends could be encapsulated and discerningly written about in the twenty-first century. -- Nakanyike B. Musisi, University of Toronto, coauthor of Decentralisation and Transformation of Governance in UgandaHolly Hanson weaves into her account of good government a history of inequality, revealing the kind of thing that can make the formula for direct democracy fail to produce the desired results and atrophy. The next challenge is to speak up, be heard, and figure out the obligations that will diminish inequality. Crossing all major periods in Ugandan history, but focused on the last century and a half, this is a landmark book in African history. -- David L. Schoenbrun, author of The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa, 900 to 1930Holly Hanson’s survey has unearthed massive evidence to show that autocracy, one person rule and tyranny did not define African precolonial systems, much as western visitors focused on it or as current media depicts African systems of governance. [Hanson] proves that there were defined mechanisms for the expression … of alternative views of managing society. These views were implemented because there were ample spaces for people to speak and be heard. -- A.B.K. Kasozi, author of The Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964–1985Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: A Long History of Political Voice Chapter 1. Building Polities through Assent, Assembly, and Voice in Ancient East Africa Chapter 2. Incorporating Strangers in the Time of Two Lukikos Chapter 3. Seeking Justice at the Palace and the Lake Chapter 4. The Modernity That Might Have Been: How Ugandans Lost Mechanisms of Accountability in the Transition to Independence Chapter 5. The Pretense of Assent and the Power of Assembly in the Time of Amin Conclusion: The Shape of the Present Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThrough The Healing Wisdom of Africa, readers can come to understand that the life of indigenous and traditional people is a paradigm for an intimate relationship with the natural world that both surrounds us and is within us. The book is the most complete study of the role ritual plays in the lives of African people - and the role it can play for seekers in the West.

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Book SynopsisThis is the true story of the greatest special forces' operation of the 20th Century and the first shot in the West's long war against international terrorism. It is a tale of human drama and unbearable tension in which courage, comradeship, fanaticism, incompetence and luck all play their part.Trade ReviewThis is a minute-by-minute narrative of that week by a scrupulous and thorough historian, who has written what will most likely be the definitive work on the subject and produced a tense and riveting account of what has come to be known as the Entebbe raid. By means of extraordinarily deep research, David essentially lets the characters speak for themselves...This is the achievement of a masterly, first-rate historian. * The New York Times Book Review *It's a brilliantly orchestrated book, wonderfully rich in detail, but at the same time roaring along at a heart-thumping pace... I embarked on this book as someone not particularly interested in the Middle East, or in adventure tales of soldiers in action; I finished it in a state of high tension, buzzing through the pages in the need to know what happened next. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Long fuse. Slow burn. Big bang. A Krakatoa of a tale. * Damien Lewis, author of Operation Certain Death *Combining exceptional research with gripping storytelling, Saul David's Operation Thunderbolt is an unputdownable account of perhaps the most extraordinary Special Forces mission in history. I loved it. * Rowland White, author of 'Vulcan 607' *Totally thrilling, totally poignant. Bringing the greatest special forces operation of modern times blazingly to life, David's book, full of new revelations, written with the excitement of an action-movie, the authority of a historian, is great drama, superb storytelling - and yet tells us much about the Middle East today. * Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem *A brilliant, breathless account that reads like the plot of an action movie. * Sunday Telegraph *Better than fiction can ever hope to be and true to Saul David's characteristically authentic style, this breathtakingly tense and incredibly moving account of history's most audacious Special Forces operation is one of the best true stories I've ever read. Gritty, visceral and edge-of-the-seat dramatic, Operation Thunderbolt ticks all the boxes and is destined to be one of the military history classics of the decade. - Major Chris Hunter, author of Broadcaster and Former Special Forces Bomb Disposal Operator. * Major Chris Hunter, author of Eight Lives Down *Gripping... will introduce a whole new generation of readers to an extraordinary story... The climax of the rescue itself is brilliantly told; nearly 40 years on, you still heave a sigh of relief when the last when the last Hercules lifts off from the Entebbe runway and lumbers off into the night and a new daw for the hostages - and for Israel. * Jewish Chronicle *For the first time in my reading life I felt physically thrilled by a book... Wonderful. -- Jonathan Mirsky * Literary Review *Gripping... As the hours tick down to the threatened bloody denouement, tension mounts and the atmosphere thickens... A page-turner, with its single clear mission, cast of distinct personalities and very filmic scenes. * The Spectator *Told with the style and pace of TV thrillers such as 24. * The Times *A meticulously researched, skilfully constructed, carefully balanced and absorbing book. * The Observer *A ripping read and a meticulously researched work of history. * Evening Standard *Combines phenomenal research with the paciness of a thriller. * Economist Intelligent Life *Well-researched and highly readable. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisLong overlooked, Zulu Basketry is the first comprehensive pictorial record of a craft form that has endured political change in education and empowered basket weavers with a sustainable means of making a living.Table of ContentsHistorical overview; basketry method and technique; basket weaver profiles; telephone wire basketry; sources and suppliers.

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Book SynopsisKEVIN SHILLINGTON trained history teachers at the University of Botswana in the 1980s. His years of teaching experience in Africa have included African History at school and university level. He holds an MA and PhD in African History from the University of London, UK, is the author of many books on African history and is a renowned authority in this field.Trade ReviewHistory of Africa remains the best introductory textbook on the market. This comprehensive and engaging overview of African history takes the reader on a fascinating journey from human origins to the present. * Professor Alicia Decker, Pennsylvania State University, USA *One of the most comprehensive and incisive treatments of African history. Lucid and coherent, it conveys the complexities and diversity of the African historical experience. Students, scholars and general readers will find this narrative engaging and compelling. * Dr Bonny Ibhawoh, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada *A clear, readable narrative of the entire span of the continent's history, augmented by the best maps and illustrations of any textbook. * Professor Lisa A. Lindsay, University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill, USA *Shillington's History of Africa remains as relevant as ever. Starting with the origins of humankind and authoritatively guiding readers to the present day, this is a superb account of a vast story, tenaciously placing Africa's peoples at its centre. * Dr Wayne Dooling, SOAS, University of London, UK *The standard textbook on the subject. Readable and comprehensive, the latest edition has numerous colour photos, and has been thoroughly updated. * Professor Hakim Adi, University of Chichester, UK *The best edition of Shillington yet. * Professor Paul Landau, University of Maryland at College Park, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction SECTION ONE: EARLY AND LATER PRE-HISTORY 1 Early prehistory of Africa 2 Later prehistory: farming and pastoralism in tropical Africa and Ancient Egypt SECTION TWO: EARLY IRON AGE 3 The impact of iron in north and west Africa 4 The Early Iron Age in central, eastern and southern Africa SECTION THREE: RELIGION AND EMPIRE IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN AFRICA 5 North Africa to 1000 CE 6 Trans-Saharan trade and the kingdom of ancient Ghana 7 Islam and the Sudanic states of west Africa SECTION FOUR: RELIGION, TRADE AND CHIEFTAINCY IN EASTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA 8 Eastern Africa to the sixteenth century 9 Later Iron Age states and societies of central and southern Africa to the sixteenth century 10 Trading towns of the east African coast to the sixteenth century SECTION FIVE: WEST AFRICA IN THE ERA OF THE SLAVE TRADE 11 The Atlantic slave trade, sixteenth to eighteenth century 12 West African states and societies, to the eighteenth century SECTION SIX: STATE RENEWAL AND FORMATION IN NORTH, EAST, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA 13 North and north-east Africa to the eighteenth century 14 Central and eastern Africa to the eighteenth century 15 Southern Africa to the eighteenth century SECTION SEVEN: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BEFORE THE EUROPEAN ‘SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA’ 16 West Africa in the nineteenth century 17 The ending of the Atlantic slave trade 18 Christian Missions, new States and pre-colonial ‘nationalism’ 19 Central and east Africa in the nineteenth century 20 Pre-industrial southern Africa in the nineteenth century 21 North and north-east Africa in the nineteenth century SECTION EIGHT: THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL AND POLITICAL IMPERIALISM, LATE-NINETEENTH CENTURY 22 Colonial conquest and African resistance in east, north-central and west Africa 23 Industrialisation, colonial conquest and African resistance in south-central and southern Africa SECTION NINE: THE IMPACT AND NATURE OF COLONIAL RULE, 1890-1945 24 Consolidation of empire: the early period of colonial rule 25 Africa between the wars: the high tide of colonial rule 26 The Second World War and Africa SECTION TEN: THE OVERTHROW OF COLONIALISM 27 The winning of independence (1) 28 The winning of independence (2) 29 The winning of independence (3) SECTION ELEVEN: AFRICA SINCE INDEPENDENCE 30 African responses to the colonial legacy 31 The challenges and dilemmas of development: debt and international aid 32 Contemporary Africa Further Reading Index.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the raid on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt identified the European theatre as his country''s priority. Their first joint operation with the British was an amphibious invasion of French North Africa, designed to relieve pressure on their new Soviet allies, eliminate the threat of the French navy joining the Germans, and to shore up the vulnerability of British imperial possessions and trade routes through the Mediterranean.Operation Torch was the largest and most complex amphibious invasion of its time. In November 1942, three landings took place simultaneously across the French North African coast in an ambitious attempt to trap and annihilate the Axis'' North African armies between the invading forces under General Eisenhower and British Field-Marshall Montgomery''s Eighth Army in Egypt. Using full-color artwork, maps, and contemporary photographs, this is the thrilling story of this compl

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Book Synopsis‘Joyous … a book that makes other journalists weep with envy’ The Economist 'Provocative, touching, and sensitively written … an eloquent, brilliantly researched account’ Sunday Times One of The Economist’s best books by foreign correspondents. A story of grim comedy amid the apocalypse and a celebration of the sheer indestructibility of the human spirit in a nation run riot: Michela Wrong’s vision of Congo/Zaire during the Mobutu years is incisive, ironic and revelatory. Mr Kurtz, the colonial white master, brought evil to the remote upper reaches of the Congo River. A century after Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness' was first published, Michela Wrong revisits the Congo as the era of Mobutu Sese Seko collapses into absurdity, anarchy and corruption. Hers is a brilliant portrait of the grotesque as confusion takes over: pink lipsticked rebel soldiers mingle with tracksuited secret policemen in hotels where fin de siecle dinner parties are ploughing through hotel wine cellars rather than see bottles lost to the new regime. Congo, Africa’s richest country in terms of its natural resources, has institutionalised kleptomania: everyone is on the take. In a country where the minimum wage has dropped to below $150 a year, the government over twenty-five years spent $250 million providing courtesy cars. Congo has a vanity nuclear reactor built on a subsiding slope and one of its uranium rods is missing… The Mobutu reign, successor to Belgium’s failed imperial experiment in Africa, was fed by World Bank dollars and IMF loans. Having presided over unprecedented looting of the country’s wealth, Mobutu, like Kurtz, retreated deep within the jungle to his absurdly overwrought palace of marble floors and gold taps. A century on, nothing seems to have changed at the heart of Africa: it is lawless, graceless and it slaughters its own.Trade Review‘A brilliant account of Africa’s most extraordinary dictator told with wry wit and delicious irony… this book will become a classic’ The Economist ‘Provocative, touching, and sensitively written … an eloquent, brilliantly researched account and a remarkably sympathetic study of a tragic land’ Sunday Times ‘Michela Wrong made the so-called ‘Heart of Darkness' much less opaque to me when I visited the Congo. She can do the same for you if you read this brave and witty book’ Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great ‘Michela Wrong nimbly balances absurdity and outrage in her portrait of Mobutu Sese Seko and the wreckage he visited – with steady Western sponsorship – on the country he called Zaire. Her book is charged with pity and terror, and with the sort of sustaining humour that she rightly admires in Mobutu’s former subjects’ Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We will be Killed With Our Families

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Book Synopsis''Only with the greatest of simplifications, for the sake of convenience, can we say Africa. In reality, except as a geographical term, Africa doesn''t exist''. Ryszard Kapuscinski has been writing about the people of Africa throughout his career. In astudy that avoids the official routes, palaces and big politics, he sets out to create an account of post-colonial Africa seen at once as a whole and as a location that wholly defies generalised explanations. It is both a sustained meditation on themosaic of peoples and practises we call ''Africa'', and an impassioned attempt to come to terms with humanity itself as it struggles to escape from foreign domination, from the intoxications of freedom, from war and from politics as theft.

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Book SynopsisPerhaps the most readable history ever written' Time OutLords of the Horizons charts the Ottoman Empire''s swirling epic history; dramatic detailed and alive a journey, and a world all in one.The Ottoman Empire has long exerted a strong pull on Western minds and hearts. For over six hundred years the Empire swelled and declined; rising from a dusty fiefdom in the foothills of Anatolia to a power which ruled over the Danube and the Euphrates with the richest court in Europe. But its decline was prodigious, protracted, and total.A fascinating read...a perfect companion for anyone who visits Turkey and wants to make sense of it' The TimesTrade ReviewA fascinating read... a perfect companion for anyone who visits Turkey and wants to make sense of it and those countries it once ruled' * The Times *As plush as a Turkish carpet... Godwin weaves together the threads of barbarism and civilisation with dazzling panache -- Piers Brendon * Mail on Sunday *So rich, so detailed and so astonishing as to be a book of wonders in itself -- Jan Morris * Independent *Perhaps the most readable history ever written on anything * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisBetween the years 1964 and 1974, Ethiopian post-secondary students studying at home, in Europe, and in North America produced a number of journals. In them, these students explored the relationship between social theory and social change within the project of building a socialist Ethiopia. Ethiopia in Theory examines the literature of this student movement, together with the movement 's afterlife in Ethiopian politics and society, in order to ask a vital question: what does it mean to write today about the appropriation and indigenisation of Marxist and mainstream social science ideas in an Ethiopian and African context? And, further, what does the archive of revolutionary thought in Africa teach us about the practice of critical theory more generally?Trade Review"This superb book will transform all discussions concerning the production of knowledge. Ranging through the archives, moving across philosophy and critical theory, and traversing social history, Ethiopia in Theory frames a stunningly original account of the Ethiopian student movement of the 1960s and '70s as a site for the production of radical social science. Rather than the mere reception of revolutionary theory in an African context, Zeleke shows us the dynamics of its generation. There is truly nothing in the literature that comes close to the depth of this multi-leveled, interdisciplinary study. Zeleke 's outstanding book deserves the widest possible readership in social history, African studies, post-colonial analysis, and Marxist and critical theory in general." --David McNally, Cullen Distinguished Professor of History, University of Houston, author of Monsters of the Market: Zombies, Vampires and Global CapitalismTable of ContentsForeword by Donald L. DonhamAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsNote on CitationsIntroductionPart 1 Knowledge Production and Social Change in Ethiopia1 The Children of the Revolution: Toward an Alternative Method2 Social Science Is a Battlefield: Rethinking the Historiography of the Ethiopian Revolution3 Challenge: Social Science in the Literature of the Ethiopian Student Movement4 When Social Science Concepts Become Neutral Arbiters of Social Conflict: Rethinking the 2005 Elections in Ethiopia5 Passive Revolution: Living in the Aftermath of the 2005 ElectionsPart 2 Theory as Memoir6 The Problem of the Social Sciences in AfricaBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisSPECIAL COMMENDATION in Africa's 100 Best Books of the Twentieth Century. The series is illustrated throughout with maps and black and white photographs.Trade ReviewReviews of the Series: * . *... a real contribution to scholarship. - -- Roland Oliver * the TLS *The General History of Africa was launched in 1970, when an International Scientific Committee of 39 scholars was formed to oversee the writing and publication of a complete survey of the African past, from pre-history to the present. The laudable aim of the project was to break free from the straightjacket of Eurocentrism, and to provide a history that reflected a range of African views without imposing any set historical interpretation. - -- David M. Anderson * INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS *Table of ContentsThe unification of the Maghrib under the Almohads; the spread of civilization in the Maghrib and its impact on Western civilization; the disintegration of political unity in the Maghrib; society in the Maghrib after the disappearance of the Almohads; Mali and the second Mande expansion; the decline of the empire of Mali - the 15th to 16th centuries; the Songhay from the 12th to the 16th century; the peoples and kingdoms of the Niger Bend and the Volta basin from the 12th to the 16th century; the kingdoms and peoples of Chad; the Hausa and their neighbours in the central Sudan; the coastal peoples from Casamance to the Cote d'Ivoire lagoons; from the Cote d'Ivoire lagoons to the Volta; from the Volta to Cameroon; Egypt and the Muslim world from the 12th to the beginning of the 16th century; Nubia from the late-12th century to the Funji conquest in the early 16th century; the Horn of Africa - the Solomonids in Ethiopia and the states of the Horn of Africa; the development of Swahili cilvilization; between the coast and the Great Lakes; the Great Lakes region; the Zambezi and Limpopo basins 1100-1500; Equatorial Africa and Angola - migrations and the emergence of the first states; southern Africa - its peoples and social structures; Madagascar and the neighbouring islands from the 12th to the 16th century; relationships and exchanges among the different regions; Africa in inter-continental relations.

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Book SynopsisThe only account of this seminal trial, written by Mandela’s defence lawyer and with a new foreword by Denis Goldberg, accused alongside Mandela and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 11 July 1963, police raided Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia near Johannesburg, arresting alleged members of the high command of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). Together with the already imprisoned Nelson Mandela, they were put on trial and charged with conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government by violent revolution. Their expected punishment was death. In this compelling book, their defence attorney, Joel Joffe, gives a blow-by-blow account of the most important trial in South Africa’s history, vividly portraying the characters of those involved, and exposing the astonishing bigotry and rampant discrimination faced by the accused, as well as showing their incredible courage under fire.Trade Review‘Everyone interested in Nelson Mandela’s life and South Africa’s transition to democracy should read this book.’ -- Arthur Chaskalson – Chief Justice of South Africa, 2001-2005'Joffe devotes considerable care to his account of the trial and those who conducted it, crafting a dramatic indictment of apartheid justice.' * Publishing News *

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Book SynopsisPreviously published as Mandela''s WayWritten by the co-author of international bestseller Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela: Portrait of an Extraordinary Man presents fifteen powerful lessons on life and leadership based on the life and work of Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013), whose fight against apartheid in South Africa has become an enduring example of resistance against injustice and oppression. A recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, Mandela is a man who truly changed the course of world history and is arguably the most inspirational figure of the past century.Stengel spent almost three years with Mandela working on his bestselling autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, and through that process became a close friend. Written with the blessing of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, to which the author will donate a percentage of his royalties, Nelson Mandela: Portrait of an Extraordinary Man is an inspirational book ofTrade ReviewIf we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others. Richard Stengel is one of those people who readily grasps this idea ... He has shown remarkable insight into the many complex leadership challenges still facing the world today and all the individuals in it. Everyone can learn from it. * Nelson Mandela *A beautiful book - even better than A Long Walk to Freedom - and even more inspiring. * Sir Richard Branson *The most insightful explanation yet of what has become known as the "Mandela magic". * Financial Times *There is no man I admire more than Nelson Mandela. Rick Stengel's wise and moving book captures the Nelson Mandela I have been privileged to know ... I was inspired anew, and I know others will be too * Bill Clinton *

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Book SynopsisThis book makes available, for the first time in English, essays and poetry published in the seminal postcolonial Moroccan journal of culture and politics, Souffles-Anfas.Trade Review"Richly contextualized, this anthology not only helps to illuminate a tumultuous period in Moroccan history, but also offers a wealth of material to students and scholars with interests in postcolonial studies, Middle East and North African studies, and comparative literature. We need this collection."—Brian T. Edwards, Northwestern University"Postcolonial theory thrives in the academy, but the actual process of decolonization—as well as the texts produced and shaped by that cauldron—remain understudied and untranslated. This brilliant and meticulously assembled collection is an essential part of the revolutionary cultural politics characterizing national and global movements of the 1960s. It palpably demonstrates that true influence has nothing to do with size."—Ammiel Alcalay, City University of New YorkTable of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: Souffles-Anfas for the New Millennium chapter abstractThe introduction presents the history of the journal from 1966, when it was founded, to 1972, the year it was banned, a period that coincides with the beginning of the "years of lead," as the oppressive regime of Hassan II is known in Morocco, and discusses its evolution from Francophone poetry review to French and Arabic tribune of the radical left. The editors situate the journal's founding mission of "cultural decolonization" in relation to the seminal writings of postcolonial theorist Frantz Fanon and Maghrebi writers of the previous generation, such as Kateb Yacine, Malek Haddad, and Albert Memmi. After a brief explanation of the selection and translation of texts included in the anthology, the introduction ends by assessing the journal's enduring legacy in Morocco, the Maghreb, and the decolonizing world, and presents it as a precursor to the recent pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East. Part ISouffles 1–Souffles 3 (1966) chapter abstractThis section begins with the incendiary manifesto-prologue of the founding issue of Souffles, which breaks with previous attempts to imitate French poetry and announces a new era of aesthetic innovation. In addition to poetry by Abdellatif Laâbi, Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, and Abdelkebir Khatibi, this section includes a long essay on popular Moroccan poetry by Ahmed Bouanani, a scathing critique by Abdallah Stouky of the 1966 World Festival of Negro Arts held in Dakar, and of the philosophy of Negritude that subtends it, and an essay on Maghrebi novel by Khatibi. Part IISouffles 4–7-8 (1966-1967) chapter abstractThis section is book-ended by two important editorials by Abdellatif Laâbi on the decolonization of Moroccan culture, a double process involving a sustained critique of Orientalism and the elaboration of non-derivative literary forms. Laâbi's defense of a novel by the Moroccan writer Driss Chraïbi as well as his fascinating interview with Chraïbi and a short autobiographical text by the Tunisian writer Albert Memmi are also included in this section, which is heavily focused on literary and artistic expression. The final essay, by the art critic Toni Maraini, presents the artwork of the "Casablanca group," as the graphic artists involved in the creation of Souffles are known. Alongside works by Souffles-Anfas artistic directors Mohamed Chebaa and Mohamed Melehi, this section includes reproductions of artwork by Jilali Gharbaoui, Ahmed Cherkaoui, and other pioneers of modern Moroccan art. Part IIISouffles 9–13-14 (1968-1969) chapter abstractThis section includes three bilingual issues featuring French-language poems by Mostafa Nissabouri, Mohammed Ismaïl Abdoun, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Adbellatif Laâbi, and Arabic-language poems by Mohamed Zafzaf and Ahmed al-Madini, introduced by the noted critic and writer Mohammed Berrada. The journal sharpened its critique of Orientalism and racism during this period with a condemnation by the Haitian writer René Depestre of François Duvalier's oppressive regime—informed, according to him, by an essentialist version of Negritude—a biting critique of Albert Camus by founding member Bernard Jakobiak, and a sympathetic interview with the French anticolonial theater director Jean-Marie Serreau that nevertheless warns against the danger of appropriated Third World theater for European consumption. Part IVSouffles 15–Anfas 7-8 (1969–1972) chapter abstractThis section begins with the fifteenth issue of Souffles, devoted entirely to the Palestinian question, and ends with a poem by the Sudanese poet Muhammad al-Fayturi published in the last issue of Anfas, the companion Arabic-language journal launched in 1971 and banned alongside Souffles in 1972. This final period of the journal is marked by a clear engagement for Palestine, as evidenced in its special issue and subsequent editorials, as well as for other anticolonial and leftist causes, most notably the struggles for independence from Portugal in Africa and the plight of Vietnam. Adopting a more accessible format and tone and an overtly Marxist-Leninist editorial line, Souffles-Anfas became the tribune of the Moroccan radical left in the closing years of the 1960s, and one of the first victims of the clampdown on freedom of expression and opinion in Morocco.

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Book SynopsisThe rise and fall of the business of slave trading - by a bestselling historianTrade ReviewA 'darkly compelling history of the trade'. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *The most impressive single volume history of the subject. Combining grand narrative sweep with vivid, telling detail, Thomas provides an elegant synthesis of contemporary accounts and modern scholarship * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *

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Book SynopsisThe History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself is a key text for understanding the history of the great West African kingdom of Asante (now in Ghana). It is also an early - and perhaps the earliest - example of history writing in English by an African ruler and his amanuenses. It was begun in 1907 in the Seychelles on the instructions of the Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I, who had been in British captivity with his family since 1896, during which time he had acquired proficiency in English.The chief source of information was his mother the Asantehemaa Yaa Kyaa, who possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the oral history of her own lineage, which was also the royal dynasty of Asante. The result is an indispensably detailed document that charts the history of the Asante monarchy from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Context is provided by the inclusion of other writings by or about Agyeman Prempeh, together with four introductory essays by the world''s leading scholTrade ReviewReview from previous edition 'This book makes a milestone in more than one sense - as a major new source for precolonial Asante history, as a fascinating example of early historical writing by Africans, as a virtuoso demonstration of how to impose some intelligibility upon the perplexing detail of what was once oral tradition, and as a challenge to historians, who must decide how to respond to this kind of material.' * Anthropos *

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Book SynopsisA historical, spiritual, and literary portrait of a remarkable nineteenth-century African Muslim woman. This book provides a glimpse into the West African Muslim community at a pivotal point in its history.Trade Review"... this woman's intellectual contribution to a revolution, and her position at the heart of the military and organisational effort, deserves to be better known." -- Graham FurnissTable of ContentsPreliminary Table of Contents: PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Nana Asma'u and the Scholarly Islamic Tradition2. Qadiriyya Sufism: The Qur'an and the Sunna3. The Caliphate Community4. The Poetic Tradition5. Sokoto as Medina: Imitating the Life of the Prophet and Re-enacting History6. Caliphate Women's Participation in the CommunityAppendix: Poems by Nana Asma'uGlossaryNotesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisProvides a key to Egypt in all its layers - ancient and modern, Greek and Roman, and Christian and Islamic. This title gives an account of history that followed - from Greek and Roman conquests, the rise of Christianity, Arab-Muslim triumph, and Egypt's incorporation into powerful Islamic empires to Napoleon's 1798 invasion.Trade Review"Robert L. Tignor's ambitious Egypt: A Short History stretches from the Predynastic age to the present, tying the various periods together in a continuous 5,000-year narrative to create a lengthy history told in a short book... Tignor writes with an easy, assured style, and his history becomes more focused and more authoritative as it progresses. He tells us it was conceived as an alternative guidebook for discerning tourists wishing to learn about more than just pyramids and pharaohs: as such--as an enjoyable book written by someone who clearly knows and loves Egypt and the Egyptians--it serves its purpose very well."--Financial Times "[T]horough, engaging, and accessible... Concise and yet engagingly vivid, this outstanding little book should be enjoyed by any reader interested in Egypt or Middle Eastern history."--Joan W. Gartland, Library Journal "Ambitious in scope, Egypt: A Short History provides an informative and readable account for the interested general reader."--Anthony Gorman, Times Higher Education "[O]ne could not write a better account of Egypt's history--a gift from a master historian at the conclusion of his career."--Henry E. Chambers, Middle East Journal "If you love Egypt, then this book is an excellent introduction to its multi-faceted history and culture."--Ancient Egypt "Senior history Tignor presents an elegant yet accessible survey that carries readers from predynastic times to the present. Illustrated with 25 color plates, two maps, and six figures, this work aims to please the sophisticated reader whose objective is to learn the broad contours of Egyptian political, economic, and religious history... [S]tudents, tourists, travelers, and businesspersons alike will find this a useful text."--Choice "[An] excellent summation of the flow of Egyptian history."--Morris L. Bierbrier, Egyptian Archaeology "Tignor's book has arrived on bookshelves at a most fortuitous time, when the number of ... general readers seeking information about Egypt is greatly enlarged, given the extensive media coverage of the 'Arab spring' of 2011. In Egypt: A Short History, this audience will find an invaluable guide to the impulses that have stirred Egyptians in both the recent and the distant past."--Paul Sedra, Journal of World History "Clear prose, personal vignettes from his own travels to Egypt, perspectives and scenes familiar to any tourist in Cairo and Alexandria, and fine scholarship are all brought together in a book that could easily become a reference title for future generations, a title to be consulted by all those wishing to travel to that magical land."--Lavinia Stan, European LegacyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations vii Credits ix Preface xi CHAPTER ONE The Land and People 1 CHAPTER TWO Egypt during the Old Kingdom 26 CHAPTER THREE The Middle and New Kingdoms 51 CHAPTER FOUR Nubians, Greeks, and Romans, circa 1200 BCE-632 CE 80 CHAPTER FIVE Christian Egypt 105 CHAPTER SIX Egypt within Islamic Empires, 639-969 122 CHAPTER SEVEN Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Mamluks, 969-1517 146 CHAPTER EIGHT?Ottoman Egypt, 1517-1798 174 CHAPTER NINE Napoleon Bonaparte, Muhammad Ali, and Ismail: Egypt in the Nineteenth Century 196 CHAPTER TEN The British Period, 1882-1952 228 CHAPTER ELEVEN Egypt for the Egyptians, 1952-1981: Nasser and Sadat 256 CHAPTER TWELVE Mubarak's Egypt 282 CONCLUSION Egypt through the Millennia 311 Notes 321 Bibliography 327 Index 347

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Book SynopsisA pathbreaking history of modern Eritrea under postwar international administration, shedding light on issues that rock the Horn of Africa to this day.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAfrica's First Democrats challenges several stereotypes about the workings and growth of democracy on the African continent. More than that, Africa's First Democrats opens up space for a broader rereading of African history and holds the possibility for a more extensive anti-racist and anti-colonial project that has long animated pan-African politics across the globe. -- Joshua Inwood, Pennsylvania State University * Politcal Geography *Abdi Samatar's book Africa's First Democrats is of significance to geographical studies of Africa for three main reasons: (i) its decolonial approach; (ii) its dissection of democratic political leadership and political parties; (iii) its documentation of a historical period in Somalia, when political leaders advocated a vision of a united Somalia that transcended contemporary representation of the country as a 'failed state' wracked by atavistic tribalism. -- Patricia Daley, Oxford University * Political Geography *This study is important because it draws attention to the gamut of stereotypes and wisdoms espoused by critics of African leaders. . . . We all must salute Samatar for his courage to exonerate a couple of African leaders from the court of academic vilification. * American Historical Review *Going beyond postcolonial analysis, decolonization encourages re-thinking the world from Africa, from Latin America, from indigenous places, and from marginalized academia. Samatar's book does precisely this, rethinking our concepts of statehood, democracy and leadership from Africa, and from Somalia particularly. -- Sarah Radcliffe, Cambridge University * Political Geography *Excellent.13 2014 * African and Asian Studies *Table of ContentsPreface & Acknowledgments List of Selected Dates 1. Leadership in Africa 2. Aden: From an Orphan to a Nationalist Leader 3. Abdirazak: From Camel Boy to Freedom Fighter 4. The Somali Youth League and the Nationalist Project: 1943–1960 5. The First Republic: Institutional Foundations of Democracy 1960–1964 6. The Second Republic: Democratic Trailblazing 7. The March toward Dictatorship: 1967–1974 8. Conclusion Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on many years of African experience, John Reader has written a book of startling grandeur and scope that recreates the great panorama of African history, from the primeval cataclysms that formed the continent to the political upheavals facing much of the continent today. Reader tells the extraordinary story of humankind''s adaptation to the ferocious obstacles of forest, river and desert, and to the threat of debilitating parasites, bacteria and viruses unmatched elsewhere in the world. He also shows how the world''s richest assortment of animals and plants has helped - or hindered - human progress in Africa.

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Book SynopsisA remarkable feat of scholarship, fairness and readability, full of lively detail with a freshness of style which brings new life to the narrative' Anthony SampsonThroughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture.Despite the euphoria which greeted the dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past. NTrade Review‘A masterly synthesis of past and present scholarship historical storytelling in the grand narrative tradition’Mail & Guardian ‘Sweeping, exhaustive and masterly’Scotland on Sunday ‘Excellent… a balanced account of a very complex story’Stephen Fleming, Irish Independent ‘Vital to an understanding of modern South Africa’Publishers Weekly ‘His assessments are judicious, his opinions fair. Welsh maintains a clear narrative thread through this hugely complex story’Stephen Taylor, New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisThe Last Train to Zona Verde is Paul Theroux''s compelling account of his final African journey.Heading north from Cape Town, through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola, Paul Theroux makes a final journey along Africa''s western edge. The end of the line is the Congo but Theroux discovers that his trip''s pleasures are tempered by a growing sense that the Africa which so long ago helped form him has vanished, along with the hopes of many of its people. Yet after 2,500 miles Theroux finds that though this will be his ultimate African adventure there are still surprises to be found by the traveller prepared to step off the beaten track.''A melancholic, farewell journey . . . Theroux does all this inimitably, and more, getting better the more detours he takes'' Evening Standard''Hard to put down, brutal honesty. Theroux proves himself a sharp observer of human foibles and a master of pithy description. The book he has crafted out of

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Book SynopsisWidely considered to be the most important biography of Nelson Mandela, Antony Sampson's remarkable book has been updated with an afterword by acclaimed South African journalist, John Battersby.Long after his presidency of South Africa, Nelson Mandela remained an inspirational figure to millions both in his homeland and far beyond. He has been, without doubt, one of the most important figures in global history. His death, on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95, resonated around the world.Mandela's opposition to apartheid and his 27 year incarceration at the hands of South Africa's all-white regime are familiar to most. In this utterly compelling book, eminent biographer Anthony Sampson draws on a fifty year-long relationship to reveal the man who rocked a continent and changed its future.With unprecedented access to the former South African president the letters he wrote in prison, his unpublished jail autobiography, extensive conversations, and interviews with hundreds of colleagues, Trade Review‘A magisterial, detailed and invaluable account of one of this century’s greatest figures … it is hard to believe that a better biography will ever be written.’ Justin Cartwright, Sunday Telegraph ‘Warmly to be welcomed, not least because it is more substantial and revealing than Mandela’s bestselling autobiography…a great leap forward in our understanding of a man who is both enigmatic and private…Anthony Sampson has carried out his difficult commission with skill and sensitivity’ Independent ‘This will be the last word on Mandela for years to come…it will be hard to improve upon this crowning conclusion to Sampson’s long career as a loving and expert chronicler of South Africa’ Evening Standard ‘Measured, detailed without a moment of tedium, incisive in its perceptions and at times, profoundly moving’ Observer

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Book SynopsisThe story of the bravest battle ever fought.

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Book SynopsisChallenging the prevailing wisdom, Straus provides substantial new evidence about local patterns of violence, using original research to assess competing theories about about the causes and dynamics of the genocide.Trade ReviewThe Order of Genocide will be an enduring contribution to our understanding of the Rwandan genocide as well as to theories of ethnic violence and genocides more generally. Although his methods and findings will certainly interest scholars of genocides, violent conflicts, and African area studies, Straus does not obscure his work in specialist language. * Nations and Nationalism *Scott Straus ranks among the finest of the scholars writing in genocide studies. The Order of Genocide is fair-minded, important, and rigorous. Drawing on more than two hundred interviews that he conducted with convicted Rwandan killers, and on many other sources, Straus builds a dynamic process model seeking to explain why and how ordinary people could be mobilized to murder their neighbors in the Rwandan genocide. * African Studies Review *Straus examines the 1994 Rwandan genocide through a social science lens... and his approach yields interesting new insights.... Particularly compelling is his comparison of killers in Rwanda with those of the Holocaust. * Foreign Affairs *Straus shows tenacity and courage in explaining the unthinkable—how otherwise ordinary people could imagine, conceive, and carry out genocide. * Genocide Studies and Prevention *Straus's study is comprehensive, thorough, and cogently and carefully argued. It is altogether an impressive work that is compulsory for specialists and invaluable for students. Straus is a former journalist and his writing is a model of clarity and economy. * Perspectives on Politics *Straus's writing is lucid, the structure of the book is well thought out, and jargon is avoided, making The Order of Genocide accessible to anyone interested in the subject. A must-read for those interested in politics and violence. * Journal of Peace Research *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Background to the Genocide 2. Genocide at the National and Regional Levels 3. Local Dynamics 4. The Génocidaires 5. Why Perpetrators Say They Committed Genocide 6. The Logic of Genocide 7. Historical Patterns of Violence 8. Rwanda's Leviathan ConclusionAppendix Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA collection of ten of the most brilliant and important essays on ritual yet written. These papers by Victor Turner... are all seminal and distinguished. * American Anthropologist *

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Book SynopsisWednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the long and distinguished history of the British Army. At noon a massive Zulu host attacked the 24th Regiment in its encampment at the foot of the mountain of Isandlwana, a distinctive feature that bore an eerie resemblance to the Sphinx badge of the outnumbered redcoats. Disaster ensued. Later that afternoon the victorious Zulus would strike the tiny British garrison at Rorke's Drift. How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana - of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle. This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which brings to life so vividly the fear and smell the blood.

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Book SynopsisThe Gayer-Anderson Cat has been one of the most admired objects at the British Museum since its arrival in 1947. This book presents a detailed description of the cat and a discussion of its possible meaning and role in ancient times.

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Book SynopsisThis is a trilogy of Deneys Reitz's three compelling works, Commando, Trekking On and No Outspan. Since publication in 1999, it has become an outstanding seller in its own right.

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