Readings in Modernity in Africa (Readings in African Studies) [Paperback]

Peter Geschiere (Editor), Birgit Meyer (Editor), Peter Pels (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Readings in African Studies | Publication Date: December 17, 2008

Questions surrounding modernity and its meanings weigh heavily on students and scholars who study Africa. Becoming modern carries a lot of different meanings and puts concepts of culture, tradition, and nation into uneasy use. Readings in Modernity in Africa brings together classic essays, old and new, to help assess the issues and problems of modernity in an African context. Questions include: How can we discuss modernity without lapsing into a Western-dominated view of history? How do we avoid losing sight of the diversity of local forms? How is it that modernity has such a powerful impact on African lives? This wide-ranging volume provides new perspectives and suggests alternatives for how a better future might be implemented in Africa and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Few other books zero in on central questions to do with what we mean by 'modernity,' its multiple and bewildering manifestations in contemporary Africa, and the scholarly debates around the application of the concept to the non—Western world." —Karin Barber, University of Birmingham

(Karin Barber, University of Birmingham )

"This is a fascinating and valuable book with a mix of reprinted contributions from well-known non-archaeological Africanist scholars such as, for instance, Allen Roberts and Mary Nooter Roberts, Peter Pels, and Marianne Ferme." —Journal of African Archaeology, Vol. 7, no. 2

(Journal of African Archaeology )

From the Publisher

"Few other books zero in on central questions to do with what we mean by 'modernity,' its multiple and bewildering manifestations in contemporary Africa, and the scholarly debates around the application of the concept to the non-Western world." --Karin Barber, University of Birmingham

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (December 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253219965
• ISBN-13: 978-0253219961
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)