Africa since 1940: The Past of the Present (New Approaches to African History, Series Number 1)

Frederick Cooper's book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa is part of the textbook series New Approaches to African History. This text will help students understand the historical process out of which Africa's position in the world has emerged. Bridging the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, it allows readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify and how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders sought to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other. Cover 1 Africa Since 1940: The Past of the Present 3 Series Page 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Plates 8 Figures 10 Maps 11 Tables 12 Preface 13 1 Introduction: from colonies to Third World 17 The past of the present 18 The many Africas: locating a space 27 The many Africas: marking a time 30 Static visions of dynamic societies: colonial Africa in the 1930s 32 SUGGESTED READINGS 35 2 Workers, peasants, and the crisis of colonialism 36 The politics of the prosperous peasant 37 Intellectual linkages 40 Religion beyond the “tribe” 43 Men and women, migrancy and militance 46 Black men and women in a White man’s war 51 SUGGESTED READING 53 3 Citizenship, self-government, and development: the possibilities of the post-war moment 54 Citizens of empire: French Africa, 1944–52 56 Self-government unbound: the Gold Coast, 1947–51 65 South Africa: nationalism for Whites and struggle for Blacks 69 Militance in different keys: Pan-Africanists and prophets 74 The limits of modernizing imperialism 78 SUGGESTED READING 81 4 Ending empire and imagining the future 82 Redefining political space 83 The reinvention of savagery and the boundaries of decolonization 87 The end of empire and the refusal of responsibility 92 SUGGESTED READING 100 Interlude: rhythms of change in the post-war world 101 5 Development and disappointment: social and economic change in an unequal world, 1945–2000 107 The promise and limits of peasant production 109 The industrialization that never was 115 Economics beyond borders 119 Modest accomplishment and devastating failure 121 Cities, countryside, and beyond 134 Decolonizing gender? 141 Religion in the age of progress and crisis 143 Conclusion: on blame and debt, on credit and trade 146 SUGGESTED READING 147 6 The late decolonizations: southern Africa 1975, 1979, 1994 149 From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe 151 Mozambique and Angola 155 South Africa 160 SUGGESTED READING 170 7 The recurrent crises of the gatekeeper state 172 The trials and tribulations of states 177 Ghana: the pioneer guards the gate 177 Congo-Zaire: the unguardable gate 179 Senegal: managing the gate 184 Nigeria: the excesses of the spigot economy 187 Kenya: a capitalist alternative? 190 Tanzania: a radical alternative? 192 Can the gatekeeper state become democratic? 196 Other Africas: connections beyond the nation-state 199 Other Africas: popular culture and political critique 203 SUGGESTED READING 206 8 Africa at the century’s turn: South Africa, Rwanda, and beyond 207 Index 221 "Frederick Cooper's latest book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa initiates a new textbook series: New Approaches to African History. His book will help readers understand the historical processes which have shaped Africa's current position in the world. Covering the last half-century, it bridges the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, allowing readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify. The book follows the "development question" across time, seeing how first colonial regimes and then African governments sought to transform African societies in their own ways. Readers will see how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders found space within the crevices of state power to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other. And they will see that the effort to turn colonial territories into independent nation-states was only one of the ways in which radical political and social movements imagined their future and how deeply the claims of such movements continued to challenge states after independence. By looking at the post-war era as a whole, one can begin to understand the succession of crises that colonial and post-colonial states faced without getting into a sterile debate over whether a colonial "legacy" or the failings of African governments are the cause of Africa's current situation."--Provided by publisher "Frederick Cooper's latest book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa initiates a new textbook series: New Approaches to African History. His book will help readers understand the historical processes which have shaped Africa's current position in the world. Covering the last half-century, it bridges the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, allowing readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify. The book follows the "development question" across time, seeing how first colonial regimes and then African governments sought to transform African societies in their own ways. Readers will see how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders found space within the crevices of state power to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other. And they will see that the effort to turn colonial territories into independent nation-states was only one of the ways in which radical political and social movements imagined their future and how deeply the claims of such movements continued to challenge states after independence. By looking at the post-war era as a whole, one can begin to understand the succession of crises that colonial and post-colonial states faced without getting into a sterile debate over whether a colonial "legacy" or the failings of African governments are the cause of Africa's current situation."--BOOK JACKET.

Frederick Cooper's latest book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa helps students understand the historical process from which Africa's current position in the world has emerged. Bridging the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, it shows what political independence did and did not signify and how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders sought to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other.