Books: 2011

Africa, Empire and Globalization: Essays in Honor of A.G. Hopkins

by Toyin Falola and Emily Brownell

Africa, Empire and Globalization is a set of original essays in honor of the distinguished historian, Professor A. G. Hopkins, whose career of over fifty years covers three main areas that are global in reach, but connect to ideas that are generated in such major cities as Lagos and London. The first section covers Africa, with essays on the economic history of Lagos and West Africa, the connections between economic change and imperialism, and the role of Africa in the world economy, including the trans-Saharan, trans-Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean World. In the second section, new topics on imperialism are explored, such as the British expansion to India, the role of trade in the Gambia, and the overall impact of the empire. The current issues around the theme of globalization are developed in the third section in terms of the relevance of the concept, the contributions that historians can make to the subject, the arguments for and against, and its impact on capitalism and democracy.

GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND MOTHERING IN AFRICA

edited by Toyin Falola and Bessie House-Soremekun

This volume fills an important gap in our understanding of the complex interrelationship between gender, sexuality, and the phenomenon of mothering in African societies. Essays present the social construction of marriage, mothering, and widowhood and discuss the various ways in which marriages were negotiated, the impact of increasing teenage pregnancies and non-formal educational techniques on unwed teenage mothers, the effects of gendered violence on women, as well as the myriad ways in which violence manifests itself in the lives of women as viewed through the prisms of some literary works and dramas.