A number of scholars in African Studies have recently begun to produce interdisciplinary works which go beyond the constraints of "traditional" anthropology, narrative, political history and political science. This new generation of scholars has sidestepped the ideological debates which characterized much of the work in African Studies in the 1970s and early 1980s. They have chosen to focus instead on the meaning of democracy, law, civil society, human rights, ethnicity, class and gender relations in given African societies. Many of these scholars are Africans who have studied in the West, but who have carried out field and archival research in their countries of origin. Consequently, in a number of instances, their studies represent the first analysis of their societies by indigenous scholars who have benefited from exposure to external perspectives. The books are written in a manner to appeal to a more general readership as well as to specialists.
By Charles David Smith
October 26, 2016
Based on a decade of first-hand experience and secondary research, this richly detailed study follows daily life in four villages in Tanzania. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, this comprehensive account examines the regional economy, determinants of civil society and ...
By Bruce Baker
November 11, 2016
Over much of Africa, crime and insurgency are a serious problem and one in which the distinction between the two is being eroded. Left without state protection people have sought to preserve their lives and property through vigilante groups and militias that pay scant attention to the law or ...