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School of Social and Political Science: Graduate school

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What We're Reading

Africa is an incredibly diverse continent and this reflects the breadth of material we read as part of our programme. Here is a selection of material that our students have recently (August 2014) read during the M.Sc.. You may even enjoy reading a few before you start...

  • Adichie, C. N. (2004) Purple Hibiscus. London: Harper Collins.
  • Abrahams, P. (1956) A Wreath for Udomo. London: Faber & Faber. 
  • Ayittey, G. (1993) Africa Betrayed. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 
  • Bates, R., Mudimbe, V. and O’Barr, P. (1993) Africa and the Disciplines. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  • Booker, M. (1998) The African Novel in English: An introduction. New Hampshire: Heinemann
  • Dongala, E. (2002) Little Boys Come from the Stars. Flushing Meadow: Anchor. 
  • Englebert, P. (2009) Africa: Unity, sovereignty and sorrow. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, CO.
  • Ellis, S. (2011) Season of Rains: Africa in the world. Hurst, London.
  • Fanon, F. (1952) Peau Noire, Masques Blancs. Paris: Éditions du Seuil.
  • Fanon, F. (1965 edition) The Wretched of the Earth. London: Penguin. 
  • Harper, M. (2012) Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, War and hope in a shattered state. Zed Books, London.
  • Hoogvelt, A. (2001) Globalisation and the Post-Colonial World. MacMillan, London.
  • Iliffe, J. (1987) The African Poor: A history. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 
  • Krog, A. (1998) Country of My Skull. Johannesburg: Random House. 
  • Laitin, D.D. (1992) Language Repertoires and State Construction in Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Layard, R. (2011) Happiness. London: Penguin. 
  • Longford, M. (2001) The Flags Changed at Midnight: Towards the independence of Tanganyika. Leominster: Gracewing.
  • Lynch, G. (2011) I Say to You: Ethnic politics and the Kalenjin in Kenya. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 
  • McCracken, J. (2012) A History of Malawi. Oxford: James Currey. 
  • Mamdani, M. (2009) Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, politics, and the war on terror. Pantheon, New York. 
  • Mazrui, A. and I. Shariff. (1994) The Swahili: Idiom and identity of an African people. New Jersey: Africa World Press. 
  • Mbembe, A. (2001) On the Postcolony. University of California Press, Los Angeles.
  • Mwayila, T. Etat Multinational et Democratie Africaine: Sociologie de la reconnaissance politique. Paris: Harmattan. 
  • Nugent, P. (2012 edition) Africa Since Independence, Palgrave, London.
  • Okonta, I. and D. Oronto. (2003) Where Vultures Feast: Shell, human rights and oil. London: Verso. 
  • Olaniyan, T. (2004) Arrest the Music!: Fela and his rebel art and politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 
  • Ranger, T. (2013) Writing Revolt. Oxford: James Currey. 
  • Smith, L. (2013) Making Citizens in Africa: Ethnicity, gender and national identity in Ethiopia. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. 
  • Tilly, H. (2011) Africa as a Living Laboratory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 
  • Verwey, L. (2009) Parliament, the Budget and Poverty in South Africa: A shift in power. Pretoria: Institute for Democracy in South Africa. 
  • wa Thiog'o, N. (2007) Wizard of the Crow. London: Harvill Secker.