This title was first published in 2003. Based on a blend of knowledge and perspectives from a variety of disciplines this volume examines the human-environment interaction in Africa, with a focus on the economic, social and political processes that generate environmental change and problems in this region. Currently there are controversies over and challenges to such concepts and issues as environment-human relationships, ecological resilience, decertification, sustainable development, globalization and North-South dialogue. This book draws upon past and present research findings to discuss these issues. It features: an examination of the characteristics, processes and patterns of environmental crises; an analysis of the principal issues and challenges facing policy makers and implementers; and the promotion of awareness of theoretical, empirical and comparative research. The volume not only seeks to answer some of the old questions, but also open up new ones for further discussion.

This title was first published in 2003. Based on a blend of knowledge and perspectives from a variety of disciplines this volume examines the human-environment interaction in Africa, with a focus on the economic, social and political processes that generate environmental change and problems in this region. Currently there are controversies over and challenges to such concepts and issues as environment-human relationships, ecological resilience, decertification, sustainable development, globalization and North-South dialogue. This book draws upon past and present research findings to discuss these issues. It features: an examination of the characteristics, processes and patterns of environmental crises; an analysis of the principal issues and challenges facing policy makers and implementers; and the promotion of awareness of theoretical, empirical and comparative research. The volume not only seeks to answer some of the old questions, but also open up new ones for further discussion.

Although research on the roles and status of women and children in Africa has expanded over the past two decades, there is still a lack of comprehensive, reality-based and sophisticated analyses and documentation of the important issues and debates in this area. This collection of original and thought-provoking essays remedies these shortcomings by providing an eclectic, informed, and contextualized account of the nature and consequences of the oppression and abuse of women and children in Africa. In addition, it provides a critical review of a broad range of policies and interventions that are being pursued by statutory and non-governmental organizations to improve the quality of life of these two groups. Based on survey data, case studies, literature reviews, and firsthand accounts, this collection brings together some of the most significant new contributions to our understanding of how and why African women and children are oppressed by society. The contributors to this volume consist of a well-known team of scholars from the social sciences and humanities who are mostly citizens of several sub-Saharan countries. Together, their lively contributions cover a wide range of topics including a comparative critique of females and gender status, traditional institutions and violation of women's human rights, and unequal access to power. In addition, the contributors examine constraints upon women's participation in politics, the feminization of poverty, prostitution, patriarchy and marriage, the inadequacy of gender neutral policies in housing delivery systems, the impact of parental separation and divorce on children, child abuse, and child streetism.

Despite the recent growth of research on social problems facing the people of sub-Saharan Africa, there remains a critical lack of conceptual, epistemological, and empirical research and documentation. This sophisticated new book attempts to fill that gap by synthesizing, interpreting, and extending the existing literature on conditions that constitute serious impediments to socio-economic development in Africa. It provides an original and up-to-date survey of key problems ranging from poverty and inequality to violence and crime. The contributors, all of whom have lived or worked in Africa, show how social problems emerge, how they are defined, and how various actors attempt to deal with them. This timely book provides a much needed analysis of the major issues and debates regarding the dynamics of social problems in the African context.

"Social Problems in Africa "is broken into four parts. The first introduces readers to the nature of social problems in general and provides a framework for analyzing and understanding social problems in an African context. Part II, on culture, human rights and democracy, examines these crucial aspects of social problems in Africa, as well as issues such as language and colonialism. Part III focuses on poverty and inequality, while conflict and violence is the focus of Part IV. Together, the chapters in this volume provide the most comprehensive and systematic approach to the issues available, bringing much-needed attention to the problems in Africa from the perspective of scholars who have lived and worked there.