Through The Prism Of African Nationalism

First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Intended for those interested in the African continent and the diversity of human history, this work looks at Africa's past and reflects on the changing ways it has been imagined and represented. It illustrates key themes in modern thinking about Africa's history with a range of historical examples.

France's presence on the African continent has often been presented as 'cooperation' and part of French cultural policy by policy-makers in Paris and quite as often been denounced as 'the longest scandal of the republic' by French academics and African intellectuals. Between the last years of French colonialism and France's sustained interventions in former African colonies such as Chad or Côte d'Ivoire during the 2000s, the legacy of French colonialism has shaped the historical trajectory of more than a dozen countries and societies in Africa. The complexities of this story are now, for the first time, addressed in a comprehensive series of essays, based on new research by a group of specialists in French colonial history. The book addresses the needs of both academic specialists and those of students of history and neighbouring disciplines looking for structural analysis of key themes in France's and Africa's shared history.

Is globalization beneficial to Africa? Does it open infinite opportunities for economic growth, development and social transformation of the continent? It is the assertion of contributions to this collection that for Africa, globalisation is a counter-revolutionary movement that is stalling the drive of the continent's societies to transform themselves into developed and prosperous entities - just as slavery and colonialism. Included are contributions from eminent scholars such as Samir Amin, Horace Campbell, Thandika Mkandawire and Cyril Obi.