Category: Demographic Sociology

African Studies, contrary to some accounts, is not a separate continent in the world of American higher education. Its intellectual borders touch those of economics, literature, history, philosophy, and art; its history is the story of the world, both ancient and modern. This is the clear conclusion of Africa and the Disciplines, a book that addresses […]

Ruling But Not Governing highlights the critical role that the military plays in the stability of the Egyptian, Algerian, and, until recently, Turkish political systems. This in-depth study demonstrates that while the soldiers and materiel of Middle Eastern militaries form the obvious outer perimeter of regime protection, it is actually the less apparent, multilayered institutional legacies […]

This book gives a concise yet comprehensive overview of Tunisia’s political and economic development from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Written specifically for a non-specialist audience, the book examines the factors that make Tunisia one of the Arab world’s most stable and prosperous countries and one of its hardiest authoritarian orders. The author explores […]

Millions of Egyptians have demonstrated in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to claim freedom after 30 years of oppression and autocracy, while Western commentators marvel about the timing and causes of what will soon be known as the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. With remarkable foresight, Zed authors Rabab El-Mahdi and Philip Marfleet compiled a book in late 2009 […]

At a time when democracy seems to be in retreat in many parts of the world, Africa presents a more mixed picture. A number of African countries have been convulsed by high-profile crises, while others have quietly continued making progress on the difficult path toward democratic stability. Democratization in Africa: Progress and Retreat brings into focus […]

Though the demise of one or another African state has been heralded for nearly five decades, the map of the continent remains virtually unchanged. By and large, these states are judged failures. And yet they endure. Pierre Englebert asks: why do these oppressive and exploitative, yet otherwise ineffective, structures remain broadly unchallenged? Why do Africans […]

This is a genuinely comparative study of the different trajectories and experiences of independent African states. It addresses the differential legacies of British, French, Portuguese, Belgian and Spanish colonialism as well as the unique qualities of imperial Ethiopia and Liberia. Paul Nugent analyses boundary problems, the reshaping of territorial structures and the contrasting ideological paths […]