BOOKS
The Story of Africa from the Earliest TimesA.J. Wills | ![]() |
The Struggle for Amazon Town: Gurupá RevisitedRichard Pace Massive changes have engulfed the Brazilian Amazon region in the forty years since Charles Wagley’s landmark study, Amazon Town, was first published. In his engaging restudy, Richard Pace explores today’s "Amazon Town" (Gurupá), where development efforts have left little untouched, little familiar. Focusing on the actions of the community as it faces new opportunities More > |
The Struggle for Civil Society in Central Asia: Crisis and TransformationCharles Buxton Charles Buxton traces the gradual establishment of the civil society sector in the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia, countries that find themselves today negotiating a complicated path between capitalist and socialist systems. More > | ![]() |
The Suffering Grass: Superpowers and Regional Conflict in Southern Africa and the CaribbeanThomas G. Weiss and James G. Blight, editors Detailed case studies of conflicts in the Caribbean Basin (including Central America) and Southern Africa provide insights into the origins and the eventual resolution of Third World strife and instability. Each region provides raw material for in-depth evaluations of the superpowers' roles in fueling conflicts and, more recently, in helping to wind down long-standing wars. The authors also More > |
The Suns of IndependenceAhmadou Kourouma A masterpiece of modern African literature, The Suns of Independence brilliantly captures the struggles, desires, and dreams of people in a west African country as they live through the tumultuous days of postcolonial independence. More > | ![]() |
The Tale of the Old Fisherman: Contemporary Urdu Short Storiesedited and with an introduction by Muhammad Umar Memon These twelve stories set in modern Pakistan capture the rich Urdu literary tradition, telling close, personal tales of family relationships, love, spirituality, dreams, and the interactions between members of different races and religions. A discussion of contemporary Urdu literature introduces the volume. The authors included in the collection are Zamiruddin Ahmad, Khalida Asghar, Masud Ashar, More > |
The Texture of Dissent: Defiant Public Intellectuals in South AfricaNarnia Bohler-Muller, Vasu Reddy, Gregory Houston, Maxi Schoeman, and Heather Thuynsma, editors The Texture of Dissent presents concise political biographies of a myriad of prominent South African public intellectuals who were shaped by the contentious issues of their day. Showcasing the ways in which these individuals were involved in the "political work of social change," the contributors also reflect on the legacy of their defiant thought and action in today's complex More > | ![]() |
The Third World Security Predicament: State Making, Regional Conflict, and the International SystemMohammed Ayoob This book explores the multifaceted security problems facing the Third World in the aftermath of the Cold War. Ayoob proposes that the major underlying cause of conflict and insecurity in the Third World is the early stage of state making at which postcolonial states find themselves. Drawing comparisons with the West European experience, he argues that this approach provides richer comparative More > | ![]() |
The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa RicaMavis Hiltunen Biesanz, Richard Biesanz, and Karen Zubris Biesanz This unparalleled social and cultural history traces the development of Costa Rica's culture and institutions. With the perspective of more than half a century of first-hand observation, the Biesanzes describe how Costa Rica's economy, government, educational and health-care systems, family structures, religion, and other institutions have evolved, and how this evolution has More > | ![]() |
The Time of Youth: Work, Social Change, and Politics in AfricaAlcinda M. Honwana Most young Africans are living in a state of "waithood," argues Alcinda Honwana, finding themselves suspended in limbo between childhood and adulthood. Failed neoliberal economic policies, bad governance, and political instability have caused stable jobs to disappear; and without jobs that pay living wages, these young people cannot become fully participating members of society. But that More > | ![]() |