The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective [Paperback]

Professor Crawford Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0300068794 | ISBN-13: 978-0300068795

In this comprehensive study, a specialist and scholar of African affairs argues that the current crisis in African development can be traced directly to European colonial rule, which left the continent with a "singularly difficult legacy" that is unique in modern history. Crawford Young proposes a new conception of the state, weighing the different characteristics of earlier European empires (including those of Holland, Portugal, England, and Venice) and distilling their common qualities. He then presents a concise and wide-ranging history of colonization in Africa, from the era of construction through consolidation and decolonization. Young argues that several qualities combined to make the European colonial experience in Africa distinctive. The high number of nations competing for power around the continent and the necessity to achieve effective occupation swiftly, yet make the colonies self-financing, drove colonial powers toward policies of "ruthless extractive action." The persistent, virulent racism that established a distance between rulers and subjects was especially central to African colonial history. Young concludes by turning his sights to other regions of the once-colonized world, comparing the fates of former African colonies to their counterparts elsewhere. In tracing both the overarching traits and variations in African colonial states, he makes a strong case that colonialism has played a significant part in shaping the fate of this troubled continent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (February 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300068794
• ISBN-13: 978-0300068795
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #975,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2.0 out of 5 stars The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective., August 22, 2005

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This review is from: The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective (Paperback)

I'm sorry, I just couldn't get started with this book, and that's a shame because I have a feeling it has some worthwhile information in it.

It "sounds" like exactly what I was looking for; but it's written in that "textbook" fashion, I mean really boring, a struggle to try to read and I gave up on it after about 50 pages.