The Book in Africa
Critical Debates
D Johnson editor C Davis editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan
Published:1st Jan '15
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
"This landmark volume decolonizes the history of the book in Africa exploding tired stereotypes of Europe as 'literate' and Africa as 'oral'. A rich array of case studies examine the long pre-colonial history of manuscript and book production while bringing the story up to date with publishing histories of multinational companies, local academic presses, and the work of major figures of African literature. A treasure-trove for lovers of the book, and those with an interest in global media studies, African studies, book history, postcolonial studies." Professor Isabel Hofmeyr, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
This volume presents new research and critical debates in African book history, and brings together a range of disciplinary perspectives by leading scholars in the subject. It includes case studies from across Africa, ranging from third-century manuscript traditions to twenty-first century internet communications.This volume presents new research and critical debates in African book history, and brings together a range of disciplinary perspectives by leading scholars in the subject. It includes case studies from across Africa, ranging from third-century manuscript traditions to twenty-first century internet communications.
“The book will be valuable to the fields of book history and postcolonial studies, not only because it demonstrates the need for new critical approaches to the book in Africa but also for the challenges it poses to the broader discipline of book history.” (Rachel Bower, Textual Cultures, Vol. 10 (1), 2016)
“The essays in this collection offer an illuminating glimpse of the critical debates on the Book in Africa, and will certainly create a lot of interest in this area of expertise, especially on the importance of archival sources as pivotal in literary scholarship.” (Jabulani Mkhize, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 42 (2), 2016)
“This is an important volume because it directs our attention to difficult questions, including that of the relationship between socio-historical contexts and literary production. The book will be valuable to the fields of book history and postcolonial studies, not only because it demonstrates the need for new critical approaches to the book in Africa but also for the challenges it poses to the broader discipline of book history.” (Rachel Bower, Textual Practice, Vol. 10 (1), 2016)
“The Book in Africa: Critical Debates is the third title in Palgrave Macmillan’s wide-ranging new series New Directions in Book History. In a decade when scholars have begun to look beyond the western and predominantly white print culture to push forward the former boundaries of the field, this new volume edited by Caroline Davis and David Johnson provides researchers with eleven case studies encompassing the fields of the history of the book, publishing studies, library studies, and literary history.” (Gulfer Goze, SHARP News, sharpweb.org, August, 2016)
“This volume brings valuable perspectives to understandings of ‘the book’ across Africa, presenting a diversity of linguistic and publishing contexts and genuinely innovative research. … provides a timely corrective to commonly held assumptions that Africa’s publishing future will be exclusively digital, and a sobering reminder of the need to engage at the level of the basic economic and publishing realities of both print and electronic publishing in Africa.” (Stephanie Kitchen, Logos, Vol. 27 (4), 2016)
"The Book in Africa is recommended for all African studies collections, library and information science departments, as well as collections on publishing and book studies, print culture, and book history." Hans M. Zell, The African Book Publishing Record
ISBN: 9781349486441
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 3746g
292 pages
1st ed. 2015