
The Politics of Heritage in Africa: Economies, Histories, and Infrastructures - The International African Library 48 (Paperback)
Derek R. Peterson (editor), Kodzo Gavua (editor), Ciraj Rassool (editor)
£26.99
Paperback
313 Pages /
Published: 31/08/2017
- We can order this
Heritage work has had a uniquely wide currency in Africa's politics. Secure within the pages of books, encoded in legal statutes, encased in glass display cases and enacted in the panoply of court ritual, the artefacts produced by the heritage domain have become a resource for government administration, a library for traditionalists and a marketable source of value for cultural entrepreneurs. The Politics of Heritage in Africa draws together disparate fields of study - history, archaeology, linguistics, the performing arts and cinema - to show how the lifeways of the past were made into capital, a store of authentic knowledge that political and cultural entrepreneurs could draw from. This book shows African heritage to be a mode of political organisation, a means by which the relics of the past are shored up, reconstructed and revalued as commodities, as tradition, as morality or as patrimony.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781107477476
Number of pages: 313
Weight: 480 g
Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 20 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Precisely on the basis of the great variety of case studies presented, the volume attests to the complexity of any form of heritage politics. The ways in which such politics articulate the past with often direct present-day concerns goes well beyond the 'mere' problematic of the colonial archive. Yet even more, heritage politics is situated at the crossroads of fierce identity politics, nation-building, and commercialisation, and it speaks to memories of suffering and struggle often in terms that seem wanting to those who have lived through them. The present collection provides thought-provoking and fascinating perspectives that advance these concerns.' Reinhart Koessler, Africa Spectrum
'The range of case studies will interest readers with particular specialisms as well as those with a broader interest in heritage, while Peterson's introduction is likely to become the key text for students approaching the topic.' Sarah Longair, African Research and Documentation
'The range of case studies will interest readers with particular specialisms as well as those with a broader interest in heritage, while Peterson's introduction is likely to become the key text for students approaching the topic.' Sarah Longair, African Research and Documentation
You may also be interested in...
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In
Sign In
Click & Collect
Simply reserve online and pay at the counter when you collect.
Available in shop from just two hours, subject to availability.
Thank you for your reservation
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at
When will my order be ready to collect?
Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection.
Call us on or send us an email at
Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order
Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at