"Frederick Cooper's latest book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa initiates a new textbook series: New Approaches to African History. His book will help readers understand the historical processes which have shaped Africa's current position in the world. Covering the last half-century, it bridges the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, allowing readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify.

The book follows the "development question" across time, seeing how first colonial regimes and then African governments sought to transform African societies in their own ways. Readers will see how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders found space within the crevices of state power to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other. And they will see that the effort to turn colonial territories into independent nation-states was only one of the ways in which radical political and social movements imagined their future and how deeply the claims of such movements continued to challenge states after independence.

By looking at the post-war era as a whole, one can begin to understand the succession of crises that colonial and post-colonial states faced without getting into a sterile debate over whether a colonial "legacy" or the failings of African governments are the cause of Africa's current situation."--BOOK JACKET.