controls. This narrative emphasizes land reforms based on redistributing land held by whites, as opposed to the internal reforms. This resistance, however, only managed to delay the implementation of the internal reforms, which failed to avert landlessness, tenure insecurity, low productivity and land degradation as promised. In the end, the shift of government policy towards a fast-track land redistribution programme in 2000 diverted the attention of the land-hungry towards invading former white-owned lands, just as project officials were redeployed to the new land redistribution programme. The broader effects of the counter-narrative, however, partly fuelled demands for land redistribution. In essence therefore, the book implicitly argues for a deeper understanding of Zimbabwe’s land question, and of the Fast Track Land Reform. It identifies a variety of social forces in rural areas that articulated demands for land redistribution, including the local chiefs, spirit mediums, autochthons in overcrowded communal areas and landless migrants (strangers). In reality these forces buttressed the search by urban elites and other politically organized interests for a radical official land redistribution programme at that conjuncture. The study is thus a critical reminder of the complex processes which have led to the stalling and revival of redistributive land reforms in Zimbabwe since 1980. It highlights the failure of palliative policies, such as internal land reforms and rural development, to accommodate local priorities and repress popular demands for land redistribution. The evidence pinpoints the critical role played by non-state actors, including the traditional leaders and spirit mediums mobilized by locals, in rejecting internal land reforms and orchestrating land redistribution. The book also makes an important contribution to the study of spirit mediums in rural Zimbabwe by rejecting over-simplified renditions of their grand and self-contained influence on local communities and officialdom. It replaces this perspective with a nuanced treatment of their changing interactions with socially differentiated rural communities, which in turn influence the spirit mediums’ narratives. Moreover, the spirit mediums were found to be willing to mediate the interests of ‘strangers’. The evidence shows how spirit mediums and chiefs frequently pursued the demands of their adherents, and how the Mhondoro cult had become an important platform for debates on development and various social and political issues, as opposed to operating autonomously. Thus, spirit mediums cannot be situated narrowly within the traditions of autochthons, nor only within a vision of the past, given that they mediate the interests of various residents, do not reject ‘modern development’, and look towards the future. The author provides critical insights into why local communities resist development projects, including internal land reforms, and in so doing provides important clues to
{"title":"Guns and Guerrilla Girls: women in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle (review)","authors":"W. Willems","doi":"10.1353/afr.2007.0066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/afr.2007.0066","url":null,"abstract":"controls. This narrative emphasizes land reforms based on redistributing land held by whites, as opposed to the internal reforms. This resistance, however, only managed to delay the implementation of the internal reforms, which failed to avert landlessness, tenure insecurity, low productivity and land degradation as promised. In the end, the shift of government policy towards a fast-track land redistribution programme in 2000 diverted the attention of the land-hungry towards invading former white-owned lands, just as project officials were redeployed to the new land redistribution programme. The broader effects of the counter-narrative, however, partly fuelled demands for land redistribution. In essence therefore, the book implicitly argues for a deeper understanding of Zimbabwe’s land question, and of the Fast Track Land Reform. It identifies a variety of social forces in rural areas that articulated demands for land redistribution, including the local chiefs, spirit mediums, autochthons in overcrowded communal areas and landless migrants (strangers). In reality these forces buttressed the search by urban elites and other politically organized interests for a radical official land redistribution programme at that conjuncture. The study is thus a critical reminder of the complex processes which have led to the stalling and revival of redistributive land reforms in Zimbabwe since 1980. It highlights the failure of palliative policies, such as internal land reforms and rural development, to accommodate local priorities and repress popular demands for land redistribution. The evidence pinpoints the critical role played by non-state actors, including the traditional leaders and spirit mediums mobilized by locals, in rejecting internal land reforms and orchestrating land redistribution. The book also makes an important contribution to the study of spirit mediums in rural Zimbabwe by rejecting over-simplified renditions of their grand and self-contained influence on local communities and officialdom. It replaces this perspective with a nuanced treatment of their changing interactions with socially differentiated rural communities, which in turn influence the spirit mediums’ narratives. Moreover, the spirit mediums were found to be willing to mediate the interests of ‘strangers’. The evidence shows how spirit mediums and chiefs frequently pursued the demands of their adherents, and how the Mhondoro cult had become an important platform for debates on development and various social and political issues, as opposed to operating autonomously. Thus, spirit mediums cannot be situated narrowly within the traditions of autochthons, nor only within a vision of the past, given that they mediate the interests of various residents, do not reject ‘modern development’, and look towards the future. The author provides critical insights into why local communities resist development projects, including internal land reforms, and in so doing provides important clues to ","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"144 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125316622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
civil society in any peace effort cannot be overstated. This relevance is perhaps greatest in the rehabilitation and reintegration of combatants. The issue of child soldiers is treated in the collection, and it deserves an in-depth examination since today’s child soldier is tomorrow’s warlord. This, along with the gender dimension to Africa’s wars and peace efforts, has a potentially practical significance that should not be ignored. One omission from the text, perhaps, is a chapter on the psychology of warlords and the social externalities impacting on the peace process in Africa. The book is a commendable effort and demonstrates the analytical benefit of an insider perspective to the study of Africa.
{"title":"High Stakes and Stakeholders: oil conflict and security in Nigeria (review)","authors":"E. Anugwom","doi":"10.1353/afr.2007.0046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/afr.2007.0046","url":null,"abstract":"civil society in any peace effort cannot be overstated. This relevance is perhaps greatest in the rehabilitation and reintegration of combatants. The issue of child soldiers is treated in the collection, and it deserves an in-depth examination since today’s child soldier is tomorrow’s warlord. This, along with the gender dimension to Africa’s wars and peace efforts, has a potentially practical significance that should not be ignored. One omission from the text, perhaps, is a chapter on the psychology of warlords and the social externalities impacting on the peace process in Africa. The book is a commendable effort and demonstrates the analytical benefit of an insider perspective to the study of Africa.","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130353507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This is a small but important collection of essays, interviews, notes and book reviews on contemporary Southern African theatre. The text provides a useful source for research as it collates studies around a variety of performance styles and influences from some very different parts of the region. The introduction states that the editorial brief was to ‘beam the spotlight on some of the geographical and methodological byways of the region’. This aim is achieved with some success, but the editors themselves state that the collection is ‘not representative of Southern Africa’ – three of the four main entries, including both interviews, are from South Africa. It should also be noted that neither the entry on Namibia nor the two on Angola make any significant reference to the influence of their indigenous cultures, but focus solely on colonial influences, even when summarizing the histories of these countries. It may be argued that these points are not problematic in themselves, but they do become so when expectation is created that the collection will provide access to theatre that is often under-represented and marginalized. It does this to a certain extent, but could have done it so much more successfully if it included entries from more Southern African countries and cultures. However, the collection is more than redeemed by an intriguing glimpse into Shona storytelling, two insightful interviews, the inclusion of a rare playscript and the very readable ‘Noticeboard’ section (which unfortunately will be discontinued in subsequent editions). This collection deserves a place on the shelf of any lover of Southern African theatre. Its existence serves to remind us that there is so much more to Southern African theatre worth researching and treasuring than is generally promoted in the mainstream.
{"title":"West African Literatures: ways of reading (review)","authors":"F. Ugochukwu","doi":"10.1353/afr.2007.0064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/afr.2007.0064","url":null,"abstract":"This is a small but important collection of essays, interviews, notes and book reviews on contemporary Southern African theatre. The text provides a useful source for research as it collates studies around a variety of performance styles and influences from some very different parts of the region. The introduction states that the editorial brief was to ‘beam the spotlight on some of the geographical and methodological byways of the region’. This aim is achieved with some success, but the editors themselves state that the collection is ‘not representative of Southern Africa’ – three of the four main entries, including both interviews, are from South Africa. It should also be noted that neither the entry on Namibia nor the two on Angola make any significant reference to the influence of their indigenous cultures, but focus solely on colonial influences, even when summarizing the histories of these countries. It may be argued that these points are not problematic in themselves, but they do become so when expectation is created that the collection will provide access to theatre that is often under-represented and marginalized. It does this to a certain extent, but could have done it so much more successfully if it included entries from more Southern African countries and cultures. However, the collection is more than redeemed by an intriguing glimpse into Shona storytelling, two insightful interviews, the inclusion of a rare playscript and the very readable ‘Noticeboard’ section (which unfortunately will be discontinued in subsequent editions). This collection deserves a place on the shelf of any lover of Southern African theatre. Its existence serves to remind us that there is so much more to Southern African theatre worth researching and treasuring than is generally promoted in the mainstream.","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124422133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ending Africa's Wars: progressing to peace (review)","authors":"E. Anugwom","doi":"10.1353/AFR.2007.0044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/AFR.2007.0044","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129782533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strangers, Spirits and Land Reforms: conflicts about land in Dande, northern Zimbabwe (review)","authors":"S. Moyo","doi":"10.1353/AFR.2007.0055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/AFR.2007.0055","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129079109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rough Waters: nature and development in an East African marine park (review)","authors":"M. Spierenburg","doi":"10.1353/afr.2007.0061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/afr.2007.0061","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"114 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117245892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Witchcraft, Power and Politics: exploring the occult in the South African lowveld (review)","authors":"Teresa K. Connor","doi":"10.1353/AFR.2007.0049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/AFR.2007.0049","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133310732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This is a small but important collection of essays, interviews, notes and book reviews on contemporary Southern African theatre. The text provides a useful source for research as it collates studies around a variety of performance styles and influences from some very different parts of the region. The introduction states that the editorial brief was to ‘beam the spotlight on some of the geographical and methodological byways of the region’. This aim is achieved with some success, but the editors themselves state that the collection is ‘not representative of Southern Africa’ – three of the four main entries, including both interviews, are from South Africa. It should also be noted that neither the entry on Namibia nor the two on Angola make any significant reference to the influence of their indigenous cultures, but focus solely on colonial influences, even when summarizing the histories of these countries. It may be argued that these points are not problematic in themselves, but they do become so when expectation is created that the collection will provide access to theatre that is often under-represented and marginalized. It does this to a certain extent, but could have done it so much more successfully if it included entries from more Southern African countries and cultures. However, the collection is more than redeemed by an intriguing glimpse into Shona storytelling, two insightful interviews, the inclusion of a rare playscript and the very readable ‘Noticeboard’ section (which unfortunately will be discontinued in subsequent editions). This collection deserves a place on the shelf of any lover of Southern African theatre. Its existence serves to remind us that there is so much more to Southern African theatre worth researching and treasuring than is generally promoted in the mainstream.
{"title":"African Theatre: Southern Africa (review)","authors":"Lizelle Bisschoff","doi":"10.1353/afr.2007.0048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/afr.2007.0048","url":null,"abstract":"This is a small but important collection of essays, interviews, notes and book reviews on contemporary Southern African theatre. The text provides a useful source for research as it collates studies around a variety of performance styles and influences from some very different parts of the region. The introduction states that the editorial brief was to ‘beam the spotlight on some of the geographical and methodological byways of the region’. This aim is achieved with some success, but the editors themselves state that the collection is ‘not representative of Southern Africa’ – three of the four main entries, including both interviews, are from South Africa. It should also be noted that neither the entry on Namibia nor the two on Angola make any significant reference to the influence of their indigenous cultures, but focus solely on colonial influences, even when summarizing the histories of these countries. It may be argued that these points are not problematic in themselves, but they do become so when expectation is created that the collection will provide access to theatre that is often under-represented and marginalized. It does this to a certain extent, but could have done it so much more successfully if it included entries from more Southern African countries and cultures. However, the collection is more than redeemed by an intriguing glimpse into Shona storytelling, two insightful interviews, the inclusion of a rare playscript and the very readable ‘Noticeboard’ section (which unfortunately will be discontinued in subsequent editions). This collection deserves a place on the shelf of any lover of Southern African theatre. Its existence serves to remind us that there is so much more to Southern African theatre worth researching and treasuring than is generally promoted in the mainstream.","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133993351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
the insecurity becomes a process of weakening structures in order to attain egocentric interests. The author generally sees the oil firms as attempting to address the issues in the conflict – especially Shell, which is seen as ahead of the game thanks to ingenious adaptations to the imperatives and dynamics of domestic rentier politics. But this conclusion is equally ambivalent, since he sees the corporate ‘developmentalism’ and state displacement entailed in the oil firms’ response as not comprehensive enough. The framework for resolving the crisis offered by the author is not without merits but it still needs to be disaggregated into specific actions and goals in the short, medium and long terms. Moreover, it also fails to address the sensitive issues of disparity in oil deposits and contribution to national revenue, in terms of the core and non-core Niger Delta sub-regions.The contention that the charge of collaboration between the state and the TNOCs is weak is not sufficiently borne out by the author’s findings. Also, the general dearth of socio-physical infrastructure in the area, as reported in the UNDP’s Human Development Report 2006, bears eloquent testimony to the contrast between heaven (represented by the TNOC zone) and hell (represented by their host communities). The book is obviously well-researched and innovative in the sense that it starts from a disavowal of the conventional wisdoms or orthodoxies on the Niger Delta narrative. It is a bold attempt at refocusing the Niger Delta discourse in line with its complex and cross-cutting nature. Probably its most innovative contribution is the attempt to deconstruct the narrative of a hegemonic alliance between the state and the TNOCs that influences oil policies. However, the vision imbedded in popular or subaltern imagery is underrepresented in the book.
{"title":"Modernization and the Crisis of Development in Africa: the Nigerian experience (review)","authors":"Kenneth Omeje","doi":"10.1353/AFR.2007.0058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/AFR.2007.0058","url":null,"abstract":"the insecurity becomes a process of weakening structures in order to attain egocentric interests. The author generally sees the oil firms as attempting to address the issues in the conflict – especially Shell, which is seen as ahead of the game thanks to ingenious adaptations to the imperatives and dynamics of domestic rentier politics. But this conclusion is equally ambivalent, since he sees the corporate ‘developmentalism’ and state displacement entailed in the oil firms’ response as not comprehensive enough. The framework for resolving the crisis offered by the author is not without merits but it still needs to be disaggregated into specific actions and goals in the short, medium and long terms. Moreover, it also fails to address the sensitive issues of disparity in oil deposits and contribution to national revenue, in terms of the core and non-core Niger Delta sub-regions.The contention that the charge of collaboration between the state and the TNOCs is weak is not sufficiently borne out by the author’s findings. Also, the general dearth of socio-physical infrastructure in the area, as reported in the UNDP’s Human Development Report 2006, bears eloquent testimony to the contrast between heaven (represented by the TNOC zone) and hell (represented by their host communities). The book is obviously well-researched and innovative in the sense that it starts from a disavowal of the conventional wisdoms or orthodoxies on the Niger Delta narrative. It is a bold attempt at refocusing the Niger Delta discourse in line with its complex and cross-cutting nature. Probably its most innovative contribution is the attempt to deconstruct the narrative of a hegemonic alliance between the state and the TNOCs that influences oil policies. However, the vision imbedded in popular or subaltern imagery is underrepresented in the book.","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122391279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
about the ‘compatibility’ of ‘Islam’ and ‘democracy’, Cruise O’Brien’s nuanced and subtle discussion comes as an insightful suggestion of an alternative way to frame the question: what potential is there for the manipulation of symbols so as to allow for the expression of alternative voices – that is, for practising a form of democracy – in the complex political contexts of any given Muslim society? The answers, of course, must be highly contingent and variable, but are surely far more reflective of the politics of the possible than much of the Islam and politics literature might suggest. By engaging with a broad and impressive range of subsequent literature on Senegalese religion and politics (including, I should note, some of my own), this book gracefully reworks much of Cruise O’Brien’s oeuvre into a sort of engaged conversation with a wide range of scholars. The result is a richly textured and endlessly insightful exploration of scholarly understandings of the rather unique Senegalese ‘success story’. At times, the conversation is actually with himself; the author’s voice is present in the background throughout the writing, and he occasionally steps into the foreground. ‘One broadcaster in 1975 self-consciously stated his task in Wolof Radiodiffusion to be one of ‘‘nation-building’’’, Cruise O’Brien reports in one passage, and then adds, ‘But then he knew that I was interested in political questions.’ Thus also, in the end, through this internal commentary on the motivations and contexts of his interlocutors, Cruise O’Brien’s work incorporates a sort of epistemological rumination on how we know and understand societies, as they are imagined into existence by their participants. The writing, so characteristic of Cruise O’Brien’s scholarship, is thick and rich, marked by witty asides and commentaries. This is a book to be savoured and not just read for the empirical content. It provides not only a rich description of some key African Muslim societies, but also a complex argument for understanding religious politics as both symbolic and imagined, played out in the displaying, negotiating, and manipulation of symbols of authority, and in the struggles for control of the terrain that define the landscapes of symbols. Cruise O’Brien is never tempted by the facile explanations, recognizing throughout the complex and at times contradictory motivations that guide human behaviour, and through which religious symbolisms intertwine with other factors to shape social lives.
{"title":"The Religious Traditions of Africa: a history (review)","authors":"D. Maxwell","doi":"10.1353/AFR.2007.0054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/AFR.2007.0054","url":null,"abstract":"about the ‘compatibility’ of ‘Islam’ and ‘democracy’, Cruise O’Brien’s nuanced and subtle discussion comes as an insightful suggestion of an alternative way to frame the question: what potential is there for the manipulation of symbols so as to allow for the expression of alternative voices – that is, for practising a form of democracy – in the complex political contexts of any given Muslim society? The answers, of course, must be highly contingent and variable, but are surely far more reflective of the politics of the possible than much of the Islam and politics literature might suggest. By engaging with a broad and impressive range of subsequent literature on Senegalese religion and politics (including, I should note, some of my own), this book gracefully reworks much of Cruise O’Brien’s oeuvre into a sort of engaged conversation with a wide range of scholars. The result is a richly textured and endlessly insightful exploration of scholarly understandings of the rather unique Senegalese ‘success story’. At times, the conversation is actually with himself; the author’s voice is present in the background throughout the writing, and he occasionally steps into the foreground. ‘One broadcaster in 1975 self-consciously stated his task in Wolof Radiodiffusion to be one of ‘‘nation-building’’’, Cruise O’Brien reports in one passage, and then adds, ‘But then he knew that I was interested in political questions.’ Thus also, in the end, through this internal commentary on the motivations and contexts of his interlocutors, Cruise O’Brien’s work incorporates a sort of epistemological rumination on how we know and understand societies, as they are imagined into existence by their participants. The writing, so characteristic of Cruise O’Brien’s scholarship, is thick and rich, marked by witty asides and commentaries. This is a book to be savoured and not just read for the empirical content. It provides not only a rich description of some key African Muslim societies, but also a complex argument for understanding religious politics as both symbolic and imagined, played out in the displaying, negotiating, and manipulation of symbols of authority, and in the struggles for control of the terrain that define the landscapes of symbols. Cruise O’Brien is never tempted by the facile explanations, recognizing throughout the complex and at times contradictory motivations that guide human behaviour, and through which religious symbolisms intertwine with other factors to shape social lives.","PeriodicalId":337749,"journal":{"name":"Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115355010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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