Books published by The Nordic Africa Institute

A pioneering work in the documentation of the Somali treasure of folktales. The title contains a selection of folktales in Somali with translations into English.

This title describes and documents the development of Danish support to national liberation in Southern Africa and the two-sided humanitarian and political character of this support. It is based on previously restricted Danish ministry records and on NGO archives and interviews.

The interviews in this title were conducted for the Nordic Africa Institute's research project 'National Liberation in Southern Africa - the role of the Southern countries'.

A critical examination of the interplay between international and local actors operating in the humanitarian arena in Africa. All sides emphasise the need to build local capacity for humanitarian action, yet the results have not been substantial.

Saying that the image of Africa in the West is negative is stating the obvious but explaining nothing. This title is about understanding how the images have evolved in the encounters between Africa and Europe over time.

In the past, the transition from childhood to womanhood was immediate and direct, and menarche was a sign of initiation and readiness to marry. Nowadays girls find themselves trapped between customary expectations and the claims of modernization.

In this book Kristn Loftsdttir gives the reader a highly personal insight into the lives of the Wodaabe nomads of Niger, who are striving to make a living between the bush and the city. She spent nearly two years as a Wodaabe, living within a Wodaabe extended family and alternating between the nomadic setting of the bush and the urbanized life-style of the capital, Niamey. Loftsdttir was thus in a unique position to observe the effects that increasing urbanization and globalization, together with the modern tourist industrys preconceptions and demands, have had on the identity and power relations of the Wodaabe.

The book deals with two types of "African diasporas," the first of which originated in the migration histories of the Indian Ocean and brought new groups into Africa.This is illustrated by case studies of Hadrami communities in Sudan and Zanzibar, and the Malay community in Cape Town, that produced trade inks as well as processes of Islamization. The second type originated with the failing African states and cases discussed are an Eritrean diaspora in Germany, alongside Sudanese diasporas in Norway and the USA, and a Somali diaspora in Norway. The papers deal with processes of homemaking, political mobilization in the diaspora through local organisations, religious networks and cyberspace nationalism. The central conceptual argument is that "diaspora" is not only a post-modern reaction to the xenophobia of Western nation states but must be seen as part of a broader history of human migration and intercultural experience. This calls for a perspective which takes into consideration historically produced variation and dynamism.

This study represents a first systematic effort to document Zimbabwe's new land uses during the years of economic crisis, the role of the state in promoting them and the differentiation associated with them.

This title brings together analytical perspectives, data and approaches so as to enhance the understanding of what seems to be a "permanent" catastrophe, the Sudan.

In this book different authors investigates the range of the migration experience in Africa. Because of the variety and complexity of the reasons which surround and underpin why African populations are so mobile, this volume adopts an eclectic approach which illustrates the diversity of theoretical positions, as well as methodological and analytical trends. Examples of the great breadth and richness of empirical insights into human migrations in the contemporary African context are also given.

The title contains 17 chapters with material from 13 African countries, form Egypt to Swaziland and from Senegal to Kenya. Most of the authors are young African academics.

This volume takes stock of emerging trends in Namibia's political culture since independence 1990.

This title presents original research on the economic, social, political and cultural consequences of the new era.

In this collection, some of South Africa's most distinguished historians and social scientists present their views on the importance of history and heritage for the transformation of the South African society. Although popular use of history helped remove apartheid, the study of history lost status during the transition process. Some of the reasons for this, like the nature of the negotiated revolution, social demobilisation, and individualisation, are analysed in this book. The combination of scholarly work with an active role in changing society has been a central concern in South African history writing. This book warns against the danger of history being caught between reconciliation, commercialisation, and political correctness. Some of the articles critically examine the role of historians in ideological debates on gender, African agency, Afrikaner anti-communism, early South African socialism, and the role of the business world during late apartheid. Other contributions explore continuing controversies on the politics of public history in post-apartheid South Africa, describe the implementation of new policies for history education, or investigate the use of applied history in the land restitution process and in the TRC. The authors also examine a range of new government and private initiatives in the practical use of history, including the establishment of new historical entertainment parks and the conversion of museums and heritage sites. For readers interested in nation building processes and identity politics, this book provides valuable insight.

This title examines the rise and fall of the Ethio-Eritrean federation which existed from 1952 to 1962. The author argues that the federation was abolished by Eritrean social and political forces rather than by Ethiopia.

A conference in Harare, Zimbabwe in September 1988, arranged on the initiative of the Southern African Research Association (SADRA) and the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies (SIAS), aimed to initiate research and co-operation between Nordic and Southern African researchers.

This title is the outcome of a conference on common security and civil society in Africa. The contributions seek to go beyond the "war of images" to imagine a different and more secure future.

Nigeria has been caught in a spiral of economic and political decay. This book highlights the progress which has been achieved, in industrial adjustment, institution building and conflict regulation. It follows Nigeria's leading manufacturing sector, the textile industry, from the heyday of the oil boom through adjustment and liberalization.

This anthology aims at increasing the understanding of current management practices in Africa, and the challenges faced in building institutions.