Toyin

The Power of African Cultures

by Toyin Falola

This book focuses on the modern cultures of Africa, from the consequences of the imposition of Western rule to the current struggles to define national identities in the context of neo-liberal economic policies and globalization. The book argues that it is against the backdrop of foreign influences that Africa has defined for itself notions of identity and development. African cultures have been evolving in response to change, and in other ways remain solidly rooted in a shared past. The book successfully deconstructs the last one hundred and fifty years of cultures that have been disrupted, replaced, and resurrected. The Power of African Cultures challenges many preconceived notions, such as male dominance and female submission, the supposed unity of ethnic groups, and contemporary Western stereotypes of Africans. It also shows the dynamism of African cultures to adapt to foreign imposition: even as colonial rule forced the adoption of foreign institutions and cultures, African cultures appropriated these elements. Traditions were reworked, symbols redefined, and the past situated in contemporary problems in order to accommodate the modern era.

Sources and Methods in African History: Spoken, Written, Unearthed

edited by Toyin Falola and Christian Jennings

Sources and methods have been an ongoing concern in African history since the early years of its development as a field of academic specialization. Pioneering Africanist scholars developed the first rigorous methodologies for the use of oral tradition as history, despite prevailing doubt and skepticism from many of their colleagues. African historiography in the past two decades has been characterized by the continued branching and increasing sophistication of methodologies and areas of specialization. This volume is both a snapshot of current academic practice and an attempt to sort through some of the problems scholars face within this unfolding web of sources and methods. The book is divided into five sections: 1) archaeological contributions to historical research; 2) methodologies involved in deciphering historically accurate African ethnic identities from the records of the trans-Atlantic slave trade; 3) old documentary sources mined for new historical perspectives; 4) drawing historical data from oral tradition; and 5) innovative sources and methods for African historical research.

Pawnship, Slavery, and Colonialism in Africa

edited by Paul E. Lovejoy and Toyin Falola

The twenty essays in this volume explore the institution of debt bondage in Africa, in which individuals were held as collateral—usually by members of the same family—in lieu of debts that had been incurred. These essays also explore how the pressure of the international slave trade, especially along the West African coast further shaped the institution of pawnship and allowed the extension of credit into the interior of West Africa. Far from ending the practice of pawnship, European colonial rule set in motion new demands on the economies and societies of Africa, assuring the continuation of pawnship well into the Depression of the 1930s. Since the nature of pawnship was such that women and children—the most vulnerable relatives—were often offered as surety of food, money, or other goods advanced on credit, this study also contributes to a gendered analysis of work and production in Africa, demonstrating the close links between credit, servility, and gender in the history of large parts of Africa from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. The volume includes studies of pawnship along the West African coast, in Igboland, the Niger Delta, the Kingdom of Benin, Yorubaland, Asante and the Gold Coast, East Africa, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the western Sudan.

Ghana in Africa and the World: Essays in Honor of Adu Boahen

edited by Toyin Falola

Adu Boahen, the dean of Ghana's history and letters, was a leading figure in the writing of African history since the 1950s. His loud insistence that African history should be written from an African perspective has borne considerable fruits. He pioneered the production of successful textbooks on West Africa and monographs on colonial rule in Africa. His leadership in the training of many scholars in the postcolonial era is also one of his touchstones. A public intellectual who shaped West African history in dramatic and enduring ways, Adu Boahen became famous for his struggles against military regimes and for the establishment of democratic institutions in Africa. He was so committed to the inauguration of a new political system that he ran for the presidency of his country in 1992. The essays in this volume reveal the wide range of Adu Boahen's scholarship, namely, a commitment to studying precolonial history, indigenous belief systems, inter-group relations, colonialism, and the challenges facing postcolonial Africa. In this collection, Ghana becomes the window to peer into Africanist scholarship and the world thus envisioned.

Africa 5: Contemporary Africa

edited by Toyin Falola

Volume 5: Contemporary Africa captures the challenges, optimism and problems that face modern Africa, notably those of economic underdevelopment and political instability. African countries have recorded varying degrees of success as they attempt to unite their peoples to build strong nations, develop their economies, and stabilize their politics. Failures have equally been recorded in a number of places, although these have not prevented the search for new solutions nor dampened the enthusiasm of Africans in liberating themselves from poverty. Among the leading issues that the volume pays attention to are: the achievements of independence, the colonial legacy, Africa's place in global affairs, economic development, political instability, and the challenges of renewal in the 21st century.

The Challenges of History and Leadership in Africa: The Essays of Bethwell Allan Ogot

edited by Toyin Falola and Atieno Odhiambo

Spanning four decades of active scholarship by Professor Bethwell Allan Ogot, this volume reflects the range of his concerns as an academic and a public intellectual. Among these concerns are the methodology of African historiography, the myth of the outsider as the genius behind African achievements, radical African sloganeering in the production of history, and "postmodernism" as a trend. Other essays reveal Ogot’s concern with the interdisciplinary scholarship in the reconstruction of the African past, and his engagement with the present as his own people, the Kenyans, seek to construct a meaningful legacy out of the Mau Mau War. He also reflects on the buffeting forces of globalization and the challenges posed by the international financial institutions such as the World Bank in the formulation of Africa’s future policies. The role of the university looms large in this volume as well, both as a site of innovation and as the repository of Africa’s genius and autonomy. Ultimately, Ogot calls for building from indigenous traditions as Africa faces the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Palavers of African Literature: Essays in Honor of Bernth Lindfors, Volume 1

edited by Toyin Falola and Barbara Harlow

Bernth Lindfors is without doubt the dean of African letters in the United States. No one has had more influence on the teaching and promotion of African literature and its criticism in North America, and his role as a teacher, literary scholar, and mentor has been felt in almost every continent where his students and colleagues have spread their wings. Palavers of African Literature and its companion volume, African Writers and Their Readers, is a magnificent and monumental tribute to a scholar who has changed the face of African literary studies and left an indelible mark on the production and dissemination of knowledge about Africa. In celebrating Lindfors' work, the editors and contributors to these two volumes also mark the moment in which the study of African literature came of age. These essays constitute a palaver in the best sense of the word—an intellectual feast, a lively debate, and a tribute to a beloved friend and colleague.

Nigeria in the Twentieth Century

edited by Toyin Falola

This edited collection focuses on the major issues of the history of Nigeria during the twentieth century, showing how the country was created and governed under different regimes. While recognizing the role of external influences, notably, the establishment of colonial rule by the British, the Cold War, and contemporary global politics, the book stresses the contributions of Nigerians to the development of their country. The leading themes explored in the book are historiography and methods; politics and economy; creativity and literature; and the burdens of the nation-state. The importance of Nigeria cannot be exaggerated: one in five Africans is a Nigerian; it is a leading African country with the second largest economy; and it remains a regional power, an influential actor in world politics, and a hugely populated country whose restless citizens will not relent in their demands for progress, political stability, and inter-ethnic harmony.

Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide

by Toyin Falola

A survey of the complicated history of the African continent, focusing on 36 pivotal events that either caused or led to significant changes and developments in African social, political, and cultural life from around 40,000 B.C.E. to the collapse of apartheid in the 1990s. Included are such diverse topics as the growth of the ironworks, the spread of Islam and Christianity, the founding of Liberia, military coups, and refugee problems in the 1980s and 1990s. Following a detailed time line of historical events, each topic is highlighted in an individual chapter in chronological sequence, including cross-references, historical and political maps, illustrations, a notes section, and a suggested list for further reading that provides many recent references by international scholars.

Culture and Customs of Ghana

by Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola

The decades of independence in Ghana have strengthened the idea of a national Ghanaian culture. The culture and customs of Ghana today are a product of diversity in traditional forms, influenced by a long history of Islamic and European contact. This is the first book to provide a concise up-to-date narrative on the most significant elements of the established cultural life and institutions, as well as the most recent changes in the cultural landscape. Written expressly for students and the general reader, it belongs in every library supporting multicultural and African studies curricula.

Black Business and Economic Power

edited by Toyin Falola and Alusine Jalloh

This is the first collection on historical and contemporary black business in Africa and the American diaspora, as well as transatlantic business between the United States and Africa. The contributors, all internationally recognized in their fields, provide African and non-African perspectives on various aspects of the black business experience. The first section of this book examines the history of business in Africa, with emphases on indigenous practices, regional commerce, and the linkages between Africa and other parts of the world. The second section looks at the creation of modern entrepreneur management practices. The third and final section deals with the various aspects of contemporary black business in the United States.

Africanizing Knowledge: African Studies Across the Disciplines

edited by Toyin Falola and Christian Jennings

Nearly four decades ago, Terence Ranger questioned to what extent African history was actually African, and whether methods and concerns derived from Western historiography were really sufficient tools for researching and narrating African history. Despite a blossoming and branching out of Africanist scholarship in the last twenty years, that question is still haunting. The most prestigious locations for production for African studies are outside Africa itself. Scholars still seek a solution to this paradox. They agree that the ideal solution would be a flowering of institutions of higher learning within Africa, which would draw not only Africanist scholars but also financial resources to the continent.

African Writers and Their Readers: Essays in Honor of Bernth Lindfors, Volume 2

edited by Toyin Falola and Barbara Harlow

Nearly four decades ago, Terence Ranger questioned to what extent African history was actually African, and whether methods and concerns derived from Western historiography were really sufficient tools for researching and narrating African history. Despite a blossoming and branching out of Africanist scholarship in the last twenty years, that question is still haunting. The most prestigious locations for production for African studies are outside Africa itself. Scholars still seek a solution to this paradox. They agree that the ideal solution would be a flowering of institutions of higher learning within Africa, which would draw not only Africanist scholars but also financial resources to the continent.

African Politics in Postimperial Times: The Essays of Richard L. Sklar

edited by Toyin Falola

The essays in this collection attest to the fact that throughout his productive career as a scholar, Richard L. Sklar has been at the intellectual forefront of major political and social developments affecting the African continent. Spanning four decades, these essays encompass the wide range of Sklar's scholarly contributions both to African political studies and the discipline of political science. While the author's influential writings on Nigerian politics comprise a significant portion of this collection, the great diversity of African countries and regions treated herein evinces a breadth of scholarly interest best described as Pan-African Continentalism. This volume also contains Sklar's seminal essays on the subjects of class, power, socialism, modernization, dual authority, mixed government, "developmental democracy," and "postimperialism."

Africa 4: The End of Colonial Rule: Nationalism and Decolonization

edited by Toyin Falola

Volume 4: The End of Colonial Rule: Nationalism and Decolonization presents various aspects of African history and culture from the period of World War II to the time when African countries became free of European rule. The book's primary aim is to present the broad picture of Africa in the last decades of colonial rule. The theme of nationalism occupies a prominent place. Various chapters are devoted to reforms and other social aspects, notably, health, business, and education, with attention to the role of Africans in initiating change. In the second part of the book, the themes are analyzed chronologically, focusing on each region in turn. The final part reflects on what colonialism meant for Africa, both during the period of European rule and since independence. The concluding chapters prepare the reader to understand contemporary Africa.