Postcolonial African Anthropologies showcases some postcolonial ethnographies and aims to figure out how and why anthropology has engaged with conversations on decolonisation and postcolonialism.

The postcolonial ethnographies in this book show that Africans may not necessarily interpret and communicate their experiences in the ways that anthropologists trained in Western institutions and disciplines do, but they are multi-vocal and are ever present to speak with authority on their experience. This book then, deepens and diversifies conversations on Africa and in particular, a 'postcolonial' Africa to understand the position of anthropologists, the position of Africans and the positioning of the discipline of anthropology in Africa.

2014 is a year of celebration on 20 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa. Simultaneously it is a time for reflection on how these two decades transformed the country and what trends emerged. Substantial progress has been made in many developmental areas, such as delivery of infrastructure and reduction of extreme poverty. Other areas are characterised by persistent barriers that set complex challenges for the future, among which unemployment, economic growth, poverty and inequalities prominently feature. It is a time to look back, ask where we stand today and deliberate on where we are heading. This seventh edition in the internationally acclaimed State of the Nation series from HSRC Press is a significant contribution to the debates around the impact of 20 years of freedom and democracy on South Africa. Resonating with a wealth of research in a variety of disciplines and cross-disciplinary fields, leading scholars analyse and reflect on an emerging balance sheet that urges all South Africans towards a fair, coherent and multi-pronged approach to development, in which all stakeholders need to participate. The two decades of freedom and democracy are viewed through the lenses of politics, economics, society, health, environment and the global context. Each of these sections offers illuminating and significant analyses, some with a specific focus, others providing a longitudinal perspective. Together they create a multi-faceted set of critiques of topics of national importance such as governability of the state; the National Development Plan; Constitutional rights; employment creation; HIV and AIDS; media freedom; and the position of South Africa in BRICS. Across the world, scholars, academics, policymakers and general readers look to the annual editions of State of the Nation as influential frames of reference for South African current affairs and the pathways forward. The current edition will not disappoint these readers. State of the Nation 2014 presents: Insightful reflections on two decades of freedom and democracy, emerging trends and future perspectives; A definitive bridge between longitudinal studies and compelling narratives; Critical views that will challenge understanding of past and current affairs The research reference for the next decade.

Mobility has become a prominent feature in African societies: Populations all over Africa are both mobile and politically and economically marginal. Yet these populations are actively engaged in maintaining social networks across localities. Mobilities, ICTs and marginality in Africa looks at the dramatic changes brought about in socially marginal populations by new ICTs in general and mobile phones in particular. The book aims to situate the cultural, social and, in some cases, transnational context of ICT appropriation and virtual connectivity so as to reposition Africans from various countries and contexts as active agents of social change. The intricacies of local ICT use and the dynamics of mobility in the African context enables us to better understand material cultures, relationships between people, new media and social networking. Equally explored in relation to ICTs are the social and spatial dynamics of communication, association and belonging across spaces – particularly physical borders, social boundaries and confines and possibilities informed by the habitus of bodies and practices. Mobilities, ICTs and marginality in Africa is rich in theoretically informed case studies that lend themselves to comparative perspectives and to ethnographies from beyond Africa.

The State of the nation 2016 volume uses multiple research lenses to analyse the dynamic interface of power and authority structures that characterises the state and South African society as a dynamic constitutional democracy. The volume projects these dynamics in the context of heightening contestations around structural economic, social and political problems such as unemployment, inequality, poverty and land redistribution. Is the state indeed in charge of the country’s economy and development and to what extent is the government able to effectively drive its publicly pronounced developmental state agenda? When does `leading’ become `controlling’? What are the roles of the private sector and civil society in development? To whom is the state accountable and how is it held accountable? What are the definitive signs that the South African state has been hollowed out in the interests of a market-led economy rather than functioning as a developmental or capable state? From the state’s point of view, which external role players, forces and powers are preventing the state administration and agencies from fully achieving its goals? In the context of such constraints, a range of changing dynamics—financial, constitutional, political and economic—and with a focus on the lingering remnants of the apartheid state —State of the nation 2016 analyses South Africa and how power impacts on mandates, accountability and contestations in the South African state by asking: Who is in charge?

From politics, economics, and society to health and environment, this volume presents 31 diverse angles on the inequality and poverty in contemporary South Africa and places them in a global context. Designed and written as a reflection of critical issues, this study provides an emerging picture that shows the need to accelerate the pace of poverty eradication and to change the developmental trajectory of South Africa. The in-depth analyses deal with topics that include ideology and modern and traditional leadership; the role of national, provincial, and local government in poverty alleviation; development, economic growth, employment creation, and housing; the media; social cohesion; HIV and AIDS; climate change; regionalism and continental power relations; and the impact of global economics on South Africa. This accessible and fascinating research is aimed at the general interest reader as well as the specialist and is destined to become the research reference for the next decade.

Marginality does not mean isolation. In Africa where people are permanently on the move in search, inter alia, of a 'better elsewhere', marginality means disconnection to obvious possibilities and the invisibility of the myriad connections that make life possible for the ordinarily sidestepped. This book is about the workings of networks of the mobile in Africa, a continent usually associated with the 'global shadows' of the world. How do changes in the possibilities for communication, with the recent hype of mobile technology, influence the social and economic dynamics in Africa's mobile margins? To what extent is the freedom associated with new Information and Communication Technologies reality or disillusion for people dwelling in the margins? Are ordinary Africans increasingly Side@Ways? How social are these emergent Side@Ways? Contributions to answering these and related questions are harvested from ethnographic insights by team members of the WOTRO funded 'Mobile Africa revisited' research programme hosted by the African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.