Wisconsin African Studies News Notes

Benin is now perceived of as a model of democracy in Africa because it has successfully established a democratic political system based on consensus and regular and fair elections, and it continues to improve its electoral and parliamentary systems. Since its democracy it has taken important steps towards laying the foundation for the rule of law by establishing stable political institutions that can withstand the test of time. It has also engaged in an important legal, institutional, and regulatory reform to establish a more favorable environment for private initiative. The fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Benin covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Benin.

The New England Law Review offers its issues in convenient digital formats for e-reader devices, apps, pads, and phones. This third issue of Volume 49 (Spr. 2015) features an extensive and important Symposium on "Educational Ambivalence: The Story of the Academic Doctorate in Law," presented by leading scholars on the subject. Contents include: "Educational Ambivalence: The Rise of a Foreign-Student Doctorate in Law," by Gail J. Hupper "The Context of Graduate Degrees at Harvard Law School Under Dean Erwin N. Griswold, 1946–1967," by Bruce A. Kimball "Perspectives on International Students' Interest in U.S. Legal Education: Shifting Incentives and Influence," by Carole Silver "A Future for Legal Education," by Paulo Barrozo In addition, Issue 3 includes these extensive student contributions: Note, "The Transgender Eligibility Gap: How the ACA Fails to Cover Medically Necessary Treatment for Transgender Individuals and How HHS Can Fix It," by Sarah E. Gage Note, "Breaking the Cycle of Burdensome and Inefficient Special Education Costs Facing Local School Districts," by Alessandra Perna Comment, "Scream Icon: Questioning the Fair Use of Street Art in Seltzer v. Green Day, Inc.," by Shannon Hyle Quality digital formatting includes linked notes, active table of contents, active URLs in notes, and proper Bluebook citations.

This volume lists the work produced on anglophone black African literature between 1997 and 1999. This bibliographic work is a continuation of the highly acclaimed earlier volumes compiled by Bernth Lindfors. Containing about 10,000 entries, some of which are annotated to identify the authors discussed, it covers books, periodical articles, papers in edited collections and selective coverage of other relevant sources.

A comprehensive two-volume annotated bibliography of books and monographs, journal articles, government documents, documents of nongovernmental organizations, and substantive magazine and newspaper articles published since the late nineteenth century. Annotated entries contain a short abstract, a table of contents, and information on reviews. Each volume contains an author and subject index, and a periodical is included in Volume Two. Topics covered include: US Foreign Policy; Southern Africa in US-South African Relations; Nuclear Technology and Other Sectors of Trade and Economic Relations; Education Scientific and Cultural Exchanges; African Americans and South Africa; Divestment Disinvestment and Sanctions; Divestment, Disinvestment and Sanctions; Comparative Studies. This two-volume work is part of a larger project that included publication of a nearly 700-page book titled “United States Relations with South Africa: A Critical Overview from the Colonial Period to the Present” which is a critical overview of relations between the United States and South Africa going nearly as far back as the very beginning of their inception as permanent European colonial intrusions and it not only gives attention to the importance of contributions from nonofficial actors in shaping official relations, but also considers the impact of the geopolitical location of South Africa within southern Africa, where the presence of other nations - particularly Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe - looms large.