Tanja Bosch

The media—and especially radio—continue to be positioned at the center of debates about identity and cultural production in postapartheid South Africa. Tanja Bosch explores the diverse world of South African radio, focusing on the roles that various formats and stations play, as well as the ways in which these stations are in an important sense "broadcasting democracy."  More >

Nolwazi Mkhwanazi and Deevia Bhana, eds.

The authors of Young Families present an unparalleled view of the realities of teenage pregnancy in South Africa. Drawing on empirical data, multilevel approaches, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the dynamics that underpin young peoples' experiences of having and caring for a child, they explore the contexts in which young families are constituted and shaped, as well as the kinds of  More >

Leila Patel and Marianne S. Ulriksen, editors

Solutions to poverty and inequality are often designed, implemented, and evaluated in a top-down manner. The authors of this book turn things around, using a range of research approaches to show how social-assistance policies can be crafted to support local communities to effect positive change. Though based on studies conducted in the urban area of Doornkop, South Africa, the work applies equally  More >

Ana L. Mallen and María Pilar García-Guadilla

During Hugo Chávez's presidency, Venezuelan society underwent a sudden—and vicious—split between the Chavistas and the Opposition. What accounts for the extreme intensity of the split? How did differences so quickly become irreconcilable? What role did the media play? Answering these and related questions, Ana Mallen and María Pilar García-Guadilla explore how  More >

Mabogo Percy More

Why write a new book about Steve Biko? Are there untapped lessons to be learned or principles to be gleaned from Biko’s work? As he answers these questions, Mabogo More presents an unparalleled critique of Biko's philosophy and social theory. Perhaps most important, he shows how Biko's ideas speak to the present human condition, especially the black condition, not only in South  More >

Lawrence C. Heilman

After Bolivia had received more than $4.7 billion from the US government to support 70 years of development efforts, why would Evo Morales abruptly expel USAID from the country in May 2013? The answer, alleges Lawrence Heilman, is rooted in a complex slice of history beginning with US assistance to Bolivia during World War II. Heilman explores that history from the perspectives of both the US  More >

Robert R. Barr

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! Latin America has recently experienced a powerful resurgence of populism, a phenomenon that has had an outsized influence on the region's politics. What explains this resurgence? And what is distinctive about this new populist era? Answering these questions, Robert Barr offers a refined conceptualization of populism and an intriguing explanation of its  More >

Anthea Garman and Herman Wasserman, editors

How central are the media to the functioning of a democracy? Is democracy primarily about citizens using their votes? Does the expression of their voices necessarily empower citizens? These are among the questions addressed in Media and Citizenship. Challenging assumptions about the relationship between the media and democracy in highly unequal societies like postapartheid South Africa, the  More >

A. Rafik Mohamed

What is it about basketball that makes it "the black man’s game"? And what about pickup basketball in particular: can it tell us something about the state of blackness in the United States? Reflecting on these questions, Rafik Mohamed presents pickup games as a text of the political, social, and economic struggles of African American men. In the process, he tells a story about  More >

Robert E. Gamer and Stanley W. Toops, editors

China today bears little resemblance to the country introduced in the first edition of Understanding Contemporary China, published nearly two decades ago. Even in just the past five years, dramatic changes have occurred under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. This new edition of the book reflects those changes, exploring the impact of new domestic policies; China's role as a behemoth  More >