Preliminary Table of Contents:
Map of Lusophone Africa
Acknowledgments
Notes on the Co-Authors
List of Abbreviations
Preface by Patrick Chabal
Part I. Lusophone Africa in Historical and Comparative Perspective Patrick Chabal
1. The end of empire
2. The construction of the nation-state
3. The limits of nationhood
Part II. Country Studies
4. Angola David Birmingham
5. Mozambique Malyn Newitt
6. Guinea-Bissau Joshua Forrest
7. Cape Verde Elisa Silva Andrade
8. São Tomé e Príncipe Gerhard Seibert
Bibliography Caroline Shaw
Index
A comprehensive history of the five Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa since their independence.
Patrick Chabal is Professor of Lusophone African Studies, University of London, and Head of the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at King’s College, London. He is co-author (with Jean-Pascal Daloz) of Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument (Indiana University Press).
"This volume constitutes a uniquely distinctive history of
postindependence Portuguese-speaking Africa as well as of the final
decades of colonial rule. What warrants immediate comment is
that... this volume should also have special appeal for readers
interested in the postcolonial literature of lusophone Africa."
—Research in African Literatures
"Bringing a sophisticated analytical perspective to his
introduction, Chabal measures each postcolonial government against
the now—fashionable neopatrimonial paradigm (boss—run regimes built
on patronage), makes allowances for the varying political skills of
nationalist leaders, considers the effects of anticolonial wars in
three of the five countries, and looks at the failure of socialist
experiments in each. This work fills an important gap." —Foreign
Affairs
"This history of five African Portuguese—speaking countries since
they gained independence from Portugal in 1974—75 is a challenge
for two major reasons. First, the countries defy easy comparison,
being different in size, geography, and socioeconomic profile.
Second, they frequently have more in common with their regional
neighbors than with one another. This volume slices into the
project from two angles. In part 1, Chabal (Univ. of London) writes
three thematic chapters that analyze what these countries have in
common and how they differ from and are similar to the rest of
Africa. They cover the end of empire (wars and decolonization), the
construction of the nation—state (nationalism, power relationships,
socialism and international affairs), and the limits of nationhood
(partisan and political rivalries). These three chapters are
concise, well organized, balanced, perceptive, critical, and
insightful. Part 2 provides five country chapters, each by a
different scholar of the area. The chapters on Angola, Mozambique,
and Guinea—Bissau are well written, especially on the wars,
politics, and the economy. Less successful are the two chapters on
Cape Verde and São (Sao) Tomé (Tome) e Príncipe (Principe), which
tend to lack critical analysis and be too dependent on official
reports and data sources. A useful bibliography is organized by
country. Upper—division undergraduates and above." —K. W. Grundy,
Case Western Reserve University, 2003feb CHOICE
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