African Conflicts and Informal Power. Big Men and Networks
Edited by Mats Utas
Through a variety of in-depth case studies - from the DR Congo to Somali to Liberia amongst others - this book shows how important informal political and economic networks are in many of the continent's conflict areas. The book demonstrates that without a proper understanding of the impacts of these networks, attempts to 'formalise' African states, particularly those emerging from wars, will be in vain. Read more about the book and find the Introduction in digital archive DiVA.
Zimbabwe's Fast-Track Land Reform
By Prosper B. Matondi
The Fast-Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe has emerged as a highly contested reform process both nationally and internationally. The image of it has all too often been that of the widespread displacement and subsequent replacement of various people, agricultural-related production systems, facets and processes. The reality, however, is altogether more complex.
FORTHCOMING IN NOVEMBER 2012
This book can be pre-ordered from Zed Books.
Inequality and Identity: Causes of War? Discussion Paper No. 72
By Göran Holmqvist
In this paper, four theories on the causes of civil war are reviewed. One theory, associated with Paul Collier, emphasises feasibility over factors related to grievance. A second theory, espoused by Frances Stewart, focuses on the role of horizontal inequalities. The third theory, identified with William Zartman, highlights the different roles “need, creed and greed” factors play in various phases of a conflict. And the fourth theory, associated with the World Bank /World Development Report 2011, points out “commitment” problems leading to institutional failures as a crucial factor.
Read more and find the report for download here.
Signe Arnfred
The book is about gender politics in Mozambique over three decades from 1975 to 2005. The book is also about different ways of understanding gender and sexuality. Gender policies from Portuguese colonialism through Frelimo socialism to later neo-liberal economic regimes share certain basic assumptions about men, women and gender relations. But to what extent do such assumptions fit the ways in which rural Mozambican men and women see themselves? The author argues that gender relations should be investigated, not assumed, and that policies not matching people’s lives are unlikely to succeed.
Order the book from James Currey.
Find more information - and the book's Introduction - in the digital archive.
Biofuels, Land Grabbing and Food Security in Africa
Kjell Havnevik, Prosper Matondi & Atakilte Beyene (Eds.)
Read more about the book in the digital archive DiVA and find the book's Introduction for free download.
Child Migration in Africa
Iman Hashim & Dorte Thorsen.
Read an interview with Dorte Thorsen.
Read a chapter from the book.
Find more information in the digital archive.
Oil and Insurgency in the Niger Delta. Managing the Complex Politics of Petroviolence
Cyril Obi & Siri Aas Rustad (Eds.)
Read a chapter from the book.
Find more information in the digital archive.
The Rise of China and India in Africa. Challenges, Opportunities and Critical Interventions.
Fantu Cheru and Cyril Obi (Eds.)
Find more information about the book in the digital archive.
Read an article and interview with Fantu Cheru about the book here.
Africa's Informal Workers: Collective agency alliances and transnational organizing in urban Africa
Ilda Lindell.
Find more information about the book in the digital archive.
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Tunde Zack-Williams
Compared with Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, the recent western intervention in Sierra Leone has been largely forgotten. This book provides a comprehensive and critical overview of what happened, and examines its ongoing consequences.
Find more information in the digital archive.
Studying Africa : a guide to the sources
THE SECOND EDITION
Edited by Marianne Andersson and Åsa Lund Moberg with literature surveys by Tore Linné Eriksen.
Find more information here.
Publications 2011/2012 (PDF)
Published books 2010/2011 (PDF)
Book flyer 2009 (PDF)
Book flyer 2008 (PDF)
Book catalogue 2006/2007 (PDF)
The Nordic Africa Institute's library provides access to many resources in electronic and printed format, which support research about Africa and related areas. Find more information about the library.