Books in the African Arguments series

A fascinating account of how the digital age has impacted Kenyan politics, and the consequences for understanding the role of social media in democracies across Africa, and beyond.

A detailed investigation of the environmental, social and economic consequences of wild meat consumption in the Congo Basin.

In the twenty-first century, the relationship between violent conflict and natural resources has become a matter of intense public and academic debate. As a result of fervent activism and international campaigning, the flagship case of 'conflict minerals' has captured global attention. This term groups together the artisanal tin, tantalum (coltan), tungsten and gold originating from war zones in Central Africa. Known as 'digital minerals' for their use in high-end technology, their exploitation and trade has been singled out in numerous media and United Nations reports as a key driver of violence, provoking an unprecedented popular outcry and prompting transnational efforts to promote 'conflict-free', ethical mining. Focusing on the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Conflict Minerals, Inc. is the first comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon. Based on meticulous investigation and long-term fieldwork, this book analyses why the campaign against 'unethical' mining went awry, and radically disrupted eastern Congo's political economy. It dissects the evolution of the conflict minerals paradigm, the policy responses it triggered and their impact on artisanal miners. Vogel demonstrates how Western advocacy and policy have relied on colonial frames to drive change, and how White Saviourism perpetuates structural violence and inequality across global supply and value chains.

Trade Makes States highlights how trade and the circulation of goods are central to Somali societies, economies and politics. Drawing on multi-site research from across East Africa''s Somali-inhabited economic space--which includes areas of Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia--this volume highlights the interconnection between trade and state-building after state collapse. It scrutinises the ''politics of circulation'' between competing public administrations, which seek to generate revenue and to control infrastructures along major trade corridors.Connecting classic debates on state formation with recent scholarship on logistics and cross-border trading, Trade Makes States argues that the facilitation and capture of commodity flows have been instrumental in making and unmaking states across the Somali territories. Aspiring state-builders are thus confronted with the challenge of governing the flow of goods in order to rule over lands and peoples.The contributors to this volume draw attention to the ingenuities of transnational Somali markets, which often appear to be self-governed. Their dynamism and everyday administration by a host of actors provide important insights into contemporary state formation on the margins of global supply-chain capitalism.

Decolonisation has lost its way. Originally a struggle to escape the West's direct political and economic control, it has become a catch-all idea, often for performing "morality" or "authenticity;" it suffocates African thought and denies African agency. Olúfemi Táíwò fiercely rejects the indiscriminate application of 'decolonisation' to everything from literature, language and philosophy to sociology, psychology and medicine. He argues that the decolonisation industry, obsessed with cataloguing wrongs, is seriously harming scholarship on and in Africa. He finds 'decolonisation' of culture intellectually unsound and wholly unrealistic, conflating modernity with coloniality, and groundlessly advocating an open-ended undoing of global society's foundations. Worst of all, today's movement attacks its own cause: "decolorisers" themselves are disregarding, infantilizing and imposing values on contemporary African thinkers. This powerful, much-needed intervention questions whether today's 'decolonisation' truly serves African empowerment. Táíwò's is a bold challenge to respect African intellectuals as innovative adaptors, appropriators and synthesizers of ideas they have always seen as universally relevant.

Reveals Israel's increasing efforts to form alliances in Africa, explaining what this means for the continent and wider geopolitics.

The ordinary citizens campaigning for justice in one of the most troubled countries in Africa

A powerful account of one of the most notorious rebel groups in the world and its impact on the women of Nigeria.

The first comprehensive account of the DRC's turbulent post-Congo Wars history and its contemporary political situation.

The extraordinary story of how one of Africa's most notorious tyrants was finally brought to justice.

From tackling the collusion of elites with international corporations to enhancing local democratic governance in Africa, this book examines the potential for reform, and how it may become a springboard for broader development gains.

An in-depth and revealing account of the violence that has swept the Central African Republic.

An eye-opening account of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the crucial role of local communities in containing the spread of the disease.

A concise and revealing analysis of Congo's forest, mineral, land, water and oil sectors, and the tangled politics behind them

An accessible, eye-opening account that fundamentally challenges mainstream accounts of economic growth in Africa

An revealing account of how Africa's new oil boom could make or break the countries affected.

A fascinating and original overview of resistance and protest in Africa.

A revealing account of the revolution that kick-started the Arab Spring, utilizing first-person testimony from those on the ground.

An essential introduction to and analysis of the highly contentious issue of 'land grabbing' in Africa

A vital book on an overlooked front of the so-called 'war on drugs'.

In Africa's Odious Debts, Boyce and Ndikumana reveal that, contrary to the popular perception of Africa being a drain on the financial resources of the developed world, more money destined for the West leaves the continent than it actually receives.

Somalia is a comprehensively failed state, representing a threat to itself, its neighbours and the wider world. This title presents a comprehensive analysis of the chaos into which the country has descended and the United States' renewed involvement there.

Based on pioneering research on the history of homosexualities in Africa and current lgbti activism, Marc Epprecht provides a sympathetic overview of the issues at play, and a hopeful outlook on the potential of sexual rights for all.

A remarkable and in-depth portrait of a war-torn nation seldom far from the headlines, featuring a wealth of first-hand interviews.

Chocolate - the very word conjures up a hint of the forbidden and a taste of the decadent. Yet the story behind the chocolate bar is rarely one of luxury. From the thousands of children who work on plantations to the smallholders who harvest the beans, this title reveals the hard economic realities of our favourite sweet.

Pitches the ideas and aspirations of people on the ground against the theory and assumptions often made by the international development and peace-building agencies and organisations. This book discusses about conflict and society in Africa.

Climate change is a major challenge for us all, but for African countries it represents a particular threat. This book outlines the impact that such a change can have on Africa's development prospects. It uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and from conflict to the oil industry.

Hundreds of thousands of people living in Africa find themselves non-persons in the only state they have ever known. This book intends to bring together fresh material from across Africa of some of the most egregious examples of citizenship discrimination.