Out of One, Many Africans : Reconstructing the study and meaning of Africa

An extremely and engaging set of essays that offer a very lively series of critiques and alternatives to current African studies formulations. This unique and trailblazing work is sure to stir wide interest in the field of African studies and beyond. Even as symbols of Africa permeate Western culture in the 1990s, centres for the academic study of Africa suffer from a steady erosion of institutional support and intellectual legitimacy. Out of One, Many Africa assesses the rising tide of discontent that has destabilized the conceptions,institutions, and communities dedicated to African studies. In vibrant detail, contributors from Africa, Europe, and North America lay out the multiple, contending histories and perspectives that inform African studies. They assess the reaction against the white-dominated consensus that has marked African studies since its inception in the 1950s and note the emergence of alternative approaches, energized in part by feminist and cultural studies. They examine African scholars' struggle against paradigms that have justified and covered up colonialism, militarism, and underdevelopment. They also consider such issues as how to bring black scholars on the continent and in the diaspora closer together on questions of intellectual freedom, accountability, and the democratization of information and knowledge production.