Most African states experienced only a few fleeting years of democratic rule after independence before succumbing to authoritarianism. During the 1970s and 1980s, Africans and Westerners alike came to view dictatorship to be as much a part of the region's social landscape as its grinding poverty. Yet the end of the Cold War and the sharpening of th

The fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of Republic of the Congo provides a comprehensive set of references on the country s history, politics, economics, and culture. It traces the careers of the country s leading personalities into the era following the democratic experiment of the 1990s. It updates the country s social, economic, and political evolution through the first decade of the 21st century. Clark and Decalo provide a snapshot of the Republic of the Congo through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, an extensive bibliography, and the dictionary section of over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, leading political figures, institutions, economic enterprises, ethnic communities, and cultural features. It provides information on many aspects of Congolese society, culture, and society not available on any web-based source or in any other publication. It is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Republic of the Congo."

Africa's Second Wave of Freedom represents the work of scholars who share a concern with the development of civil society in Africa. The first third of the book deals theoretically with the issues of democracy and stability in Africa. In particular, the contributors analyze the inadequacy of the United States' response to African problems (such as environmental decay, spiraling debt, and health epidemics) that do not respect national boundaries; the fragility of democracy in Africa and the danger of reversion to dictatorships; and the barriers to constitutional democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. The remainder of the book consists of case studies of various aspects of civil society from Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Most African states experienced only a few fleeting years of democratic rule after independence before succumbing to authoritarianism. During the 1970s and 1980s, Africans and Westerners alike came to view dictatorship to be as much a part of the region's social landscape as its grinding poverty. Yet the end of the Cold War and the sharpening of the economic crisis at the end of the 1980s have breathed new life into campaigns for democracy in Africa, shaking the foundations of many long-standing autocracies. In some cases, dramatic transitions took place, though the fate of the new democracies is far from certain.This volume explores the origins and evolution of political reform movements in several states of Francophone Africa. The authors first make the case for the distinctiveness of Francophone Africa, based on the influences of colonial history, language, and France's contemporary role in Africa, then survey the challenges of reform, including the problems of transition from authoritarianism and consolidation of democratic regimes. Case studies of thirteen former French and Belgium colonies follow, organized by level of reform achieved: peaceful regime change, incremental reforms, repressed reform efforts, and reform in the mist of war.

In the wake of the Scientific Revolution, the impulse to name and classify the natural world accelerated, and insects presented a particularly inviting challenge. This lively book explores how science became increasingly important in nineteenth-century British culture and how the systematic study of insects permitted entomologists to engage with the most pressing questions of Victorian times: the nature of God, mind, and governance, and the origins of life. By placing insects in a myriad of contexts--politics, religion, gender, and empire--John F. McDiarmid Clark demonstrates the impact of Victorian culture on the science of insects and on the systematic knowledge of the natural world. Through engaging accounts of famous and eccentric innovators who sought to define social roles for themselves through a specialist study of insects--among them a Tory clergyman, a banker and member of Parliament, a wealthy spinster, and an entrepreneurial academic--Clark highlights the role of insects in the making of modern Britain and maintains that the legacy of Victorian entomologists continues to this day.