{"title":"Social Science--Cultural \u0026 Ethnic Studies--African Studies","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"an-african-history-of-africa-from-the-dawn-of-humanity-to-independence","title":"An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlready a major international bestseller, Zeinab Badawi's sweeping and much-needed survey of African history traces the continent's extraordinary legacy from prehistory to the present from the African perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Equal parts gripping and galvanizing. . . . Researched across more than 30 countries, it brings the dazzling civilizations of pre-colonial Africa vividly to life. A book that feels both long-overdue--and wholly worth the wait.\" --British Vogue\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEveryone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor too long, Africa's history has been dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, or simply ignored. Now, in this work of decolonized history, Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this fascinating nonfiction history book, Badawi guides us through Africa's spectacular history--from the very origins of our species, through ancient civilizations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. Visiting more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, she unearths buried histories from across the continent and gives Africa its rightful place in our shared world history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a gripping new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when Africa's history is finally told from an African perspective?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePre-Colonial Africa: \u003c\/b\u003e Journey through the dazzling civilizations and remarkable medieval empires of a continent, based on research across more than thirty countries.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAncient Civilizations: \u003c\/b\u003e Go beyond the Nile to discover the magnificent and often overlooked histories of the Kingdom of Kush, Aksum, and more.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Origins of Humankind: \u003c\/b\u003e Explore our shared beginnings on the African continent and understand why this story is for everyone.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAn African Perspective: \u003c\/b\u003e Experience the continent's epic, sweeping history not as a Western narrative, but as a story told by African historians, archaeologists, and storytellers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0063335417\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780063335417\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Badawi, Zeinab\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Mariner Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Jan 2025)","offer_id":45937231003845,"sku":"9780063335417","price":30.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780063335417.jpg?v=1772856501"},{"product_id":"decolonizing-language-and-other-revolutionary-ideas","title":"Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003cem\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/em\u003e Most Anticipated Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrilliant thoughts on modern African literature and postcolonial literary criticism from one of the giants of contemporary letters\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"One of the greatest writers of our time.\" --Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cb\u003ebestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o was a towering figure in African literature, and his novels \u003cem\u003eA Grain of Wheat\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eWeep Not, Child\u003c\/em\u003e; and \u003cem\u003ePetals of Blood\u003c\/em\u003e are modern classics. Emerging from a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and '60s during the last years of colonialism in Africa, he became known not just as a novelist--one who, in the late '70s, famously stopped writing novels in English and turned to the language he grew up speaking, Gĩkũyũ--but as a major postcolonial theorist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eDecolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas\u003c\/em\u003e, Ngũgĩ gives us a series of essays that build on the revolutionary ideas about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity that he set out in his earlier work--illuminating the intrinsic importance of keeping intact and honoring these native languages throughout time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntricate and deeply nuanced, this collection examines the enduring power of African languages in resisting both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present. These themes are elucidated through chapters on some contemporaries of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, including Chinua Achebe, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo, and Wole Soyinka--each offering a distinct lens on the liberatory potential of language.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA brave call for discourse and immensely relevant to our present moment, \u003cem\u003eDecolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas\u003c\/em\u003e works both as a wonderful introduction to the enduring themes of Ngũgĩ's work as well as a vital addition to the library of the world's greatest and most provocative writers.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1620979322\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781620979327\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Wa Thiong'o, Ngugi\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: New Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"New Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (May 2025)","offer_id":46080290193605,"sku":"9781620979327","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781620979327.jpg?v=1776035871"},{"product_id":"prose-to-the-people-a-celebration-of-black-bookstores","title":"Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores","description":"\u003cb\u003eA stunning visual homage to Black bookstores, featuring a selection of shops around the country alongside essays that celebrate the history, community, activism, and culture these spaces embody, with an original foreword by Nikki Giovanni.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlack literature is perhaps the most powerful, polarizing force in the modern American zeitgeist. Today--as Black novels draw authoritarian ire, as Black memoirs shape public debates, as Black polemics inspire protest petitions--it's more important than ever to highlight the places that center these stories: Black bookstores. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTraversing teeming metropolises and tiny towns, \u003ci\u003eProse to the People \u003c\/i\u003eexplores a these spaces, chronicling these Black bookstore's past and present lives. Combining narrative prose, eye-catching photography, one-on-one interviews, original essays, and specially curated poetry, \u003ci\u003eProse to the People\u003c\/i\u003e is a reader's road trip companion to the world of Black books. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThoughtfully curated by writer and Black bookstore owner Katie Mitchell, \u003ci\u003eProse to the People\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-have addition to the shelves of anyone who loves book culture and Black history. Though not a definitive guide, this dynamic book centers profiles of over fifty Black bookstores from the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic, the South, and the West Coast, complete with stunning original and archival photography. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eInterspersed throughout are essays, poems, and interviews by \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestsellers Kiese Laymon, Rio Cortez, Pearl Cleage, and many more journalists, activists, authors, academics, and poets that offer deeper perspectives on these bookstores' role throughout the diaspora. Complete with a foreword by world-renowned poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, \u003ci\u003eProse to the People \u003c\/i\u003eis a beautiful tribute to these vital pillars of the Black community.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0593581342\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780593581346\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Mitchell, Katie, Giovanni, Nikki\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Clarkson Potter Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Apr 2025)","offer_id":46080381583557,"sku":"9780593581346","price":25.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780593581346.jpg?v=1776036752"},{"product_id":"writing-timbuktu-the-book-in-west-african-history","title":"Writing Timbuktu: The Book in West African History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe long overlooked, centuries-long, culture of the book in West\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eAfrica\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePrinted books did not reach West Africa until the early twentieth century. And yet, between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries, literate and curious readers throughout the region found books to read--books that were written and copied by hand. In \u003ci\u003eWriting Timbuktu\u003c\/i\u003e, Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa. Centering his account in the historic city of Timbuktu, Jeppie explores the culture of the \"manuscript-book\"--unbound pages, often held together by carefully crafted leather covers. He describes the most important and most prolific scholars and their works, the subjects they covered, and ways these books were circulated, collected, and preserved. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe authors of the manuscript-books wrote to demonstrate their knowledge to their peers, expound theological and legal opinions, and engage in scholarly disputation. After beginning his account in Timbuktu, Jeppie traces the literary connections among places as distant as Marrakesh in the north and Sokoto in the south, and smaller settlements in between. He chronicles the work of Ahmad Baba in late sixteenth-century Timbuktu and his students in early seventeenth-century Marrakesh; the emergence of writers in the eighteenth century in what today is Mauritania; the writings of the scholar-rulers of Sokoto, northern Nigeria, in the nineteenth century; and the eventual discovery of the manuscript-book world of West Africa by European travelers and French colonial officials. Finally, Jeppie finds that the handwritten text persisted even after the advent of the printed book, and even among writers whose books were in print, including the famous Malian novelist Amadou Hampâté Bâ.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0691273855\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780691273853\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Jeppie, Shamil\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Jan 2026)","offer_id":46081092583621,"sku":"9780691273853","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780691273853.jpg?v=1776042961"},{"product_id":"seeking-sexual-freedom-african-rites-rituals-and-sankofa-in-the-bedroom","title":"Seeking Sexual Freedom: African Rites, Rituals, and Sankofa in the Bedroom","description":"\u003cb\u003eA delightful romp exploring African traditions around sexual pleasure, with the personal goal of self-discovery and liberation, by one of Africa's preeminent feminists.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile working on her first book, \u003ci\u003eThe Sex Lives of African Women\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed feminist and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah had access to the wildest dreams and spiciest realities of Black women from around the world. But so often, she noticed that something was holding them back from achieving full liberation and unfettered joy. So, she set out to apply sankofa--which means learning from the past to inform the future--to sexuality and pleasure, reclaiming African traditions in a quest to achieve true freedom. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSeeking Sexual Freedom\u003c\/i\u003e, Sekyiamah takes readers across the African continent, from Senegal to Tanzania and beyond, where she meets and trains with gurus, \"witches\", and aunties whose job it is to guide girls through puberty rites and later through \"marital training.\" She discusses practices like beading and pulling, while highlighting the spiritual and gender-fluid nature of African traditional religions. With the \"interruption\" of colonialism, Sekyiamah explores why we have lost our way, how western patriarchal norms led to our warped ideals of beauty and shame, internalized racism, as well as to state and interpersonal violence. Sankofa, she explains, can help rid us of these obstacles that stand in the way of our sexual liberation. 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After tracing the emails to an IP address in Nigeria, he set off on a journey to Lagos find his mother's scammer, where he stumbled on a much bigger story. There, in a crowded and impoverished neighborhood in the midst of Africa's largest city, he encountered thousands of young men engaged in romance scamming. They call themselves \"Yahoo Boys,\" and each year they catfish millions of dollars from lonely victims overseas, building a dizzying local economy from their phones. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this astonishing work of immersion journalism, Barragán takes us inside the lives of four of the Yahoo Boys of Lagos. We meet Biggy and Chibuike, each struggling with the temptations of fast money; Azeez, a tailor's apprentice caught between the lure of crime and Nigeria's economic crisis; and Richie, who is convinced that he's responsible for the death of a woman in Kentucky he manipulated online for years. 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