What does it take for African countries to achieve political and economic successes? Scholarship on Africa tends to focus on the barriers to reaching desired outcomes. While recognizing that these barriers are very real, Erin Hern takes a contrary, unabashedly optimistic approach: rather than treating countries that perform well as "miracles," she seeks to normalize their success,    More >

Wedged between Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, at the intersection of the world’s busiest shipping routes, Djibouti has long been a global geostrategic hub. Samson Bezabeh traces the tortuous political history of this tiny country since its independence from France in 1977. Bezabeh challenges much conventional wisdom as he dissects Djibouti's trials and tribulations. Focusing on the    More >

Gardner Thompson offers a fresh history of British rule in Southern Rhodesia, from the first colonial settlements in Mashonaland in the 1890s to the establishment of the country's sovereignty as Zimbabwe. After tracing developments in the early decades, Thompson turns to the post–World War II debate about the colony's future direction—which pitted progressive settlers    More >

The sixth edition of Understanding Contemporary Africa, and the first under the editorship of Peter Schraeder, combines the strengths of the previous editions with coverage of new topics suggested over the years by the many instructors who regularly assign the text in their classes. Entirely new chapters on the politics of public health, the changing roles of women, LGBTIQ rights, environmental    More >

The BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—have become a strong engine of South-South cooperation, contributing to a significant shift in the global balance of power. They also, taken as a whole, constitute Africa's largest trading partner. The authors of this new collection consider the potential of BRICS–Africa cooperation for promoting sustainable    More >

Drought, lack of access, poor quality … water supplies are in jeopardy across Africa and the Middle East. These same areas are rife with conflicts involving Islamic extremist groups. Marcus King explores linkages between water stress and violent conflict by looking closely at how ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and al-Shabaab in Somalia have weaponized water in the pursuit of    More >