Africa Geographies of Change

Population growth, business interests, and global connections are transforming Africa from a "lost" continent to one of "strategic opportunity" in the worldwide geopolitical sphere. A timely synthesis of current thinking on this diverse, complex, and changing region, Africa: Geographies of Change offers students the most realistic portrait of modern Africa available.

Integrating material on China in Africa, the mobile-phone revolution, the Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development, "land and water grabs," food security, informal livelihoods, the "Green Revolution," and new satellite cities, this text adopts a realistically optimistic narrative that focuses on Africa's burgeoning cities. By using case studies to highlight important topics, Africa: Geographies of Change incorporates new perspectives from urban studies, public health, political geography, and sustainable development in order to provide a more nuanced understanding of African issues.

Features
*Integrated cutting-edge topics--such as China in Africa, the mobile-phone revolution, sustainable development, informal livelihoods, and food security--keep the text relevant and thought-provoking
*Emphasis on contemporary Africa motivates students to consider alternative and more positive possibilities for African development
*Historical knowledge underpins the assessment of contemporary issues and helps students to envision future development and policy outcomes
*Uniquely African perspectives enhance each chapter
*Carefully selected sidebars and case studies vividly illustrate the topics being discussed

Richard Grant is Professor of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Miami. He is also Adjunct Senior Research Scientist to the Earth Institute's Millennium Cities Initiative at Columbia University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Setting the African Stage
The Urban Revolution and Emerging Rural Revolution in Africa
The Concept of "Africa"
How to Write About Africa? sidebar
The "New Africa" Growth Story
Urbanization in Small Towns in East Africa sidebar
Africa as a Millennium Development Frontier
Urbanization in Africa in Consideration
Conclusions

Chapter 2 Reframing and Rerepresenting African Affairs
Introduction
Representing Africa: The Darkness Legacy
"The Coming Anarchy" sidebar
Moving from a World of Shadows into Splintering Light
Social Media: Africa Reporting, Blogging Africa, and Africa Podcasting
Africans' Revisioning of Africa
Unchaining Africa
Ending the Looting of Africa
Political Leadership
Environmentalism of the Poor and Sustainable Development
Ending Aid?
Civil Society
African Postcolonial Urbanists
Conclusion

Chapter 3 Africa's Environments
Introduction
The Environment and International Development Agendas
The Diversity of African Environments
Africa's Rainfall and Climate Change
Africa's Mineral Resources
The Resource Curse or Cure? sidebar
Coltan sidebar
Environments of Africa's Fisheries
Somali Pirates: Responding to Africa's Fish Rush? sidebar
Human Environments
Urban Environments and Ecological Footprints
Conclusions

Chapter 4 The "Scramble for Africa" and the State of European Geographic Knowledge on the Region
Introduction
Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) sidebar
Timbuktu: Colonial Escapades and Unanswered Questions
Colonial Motivations
Africa's Urban Past
"Great Zimbabwe": An Urban History Almost Forgotten sidebar
Colonial Legacies
Geographies of Empire
The Bungalow sidebar
Urban Development and Planning the Colonial City
Conclusions

Chapter 5 Rural Africa
Introduction
Rural Development Themes and Policy Emphases: The Elusive Quest For Sustained Development
The Green Revolution
Africa's Failed Green Revolution
Africa's New Green Revolution
Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
African Millennium Villages sidebar
Rural Livelihoods: A Challenge to the Primacy of Small Farms?
Pro-Poor Tourism Best Practices from Rural South Africa: Making African Game Parks Work for the Local Poor sidebar
Gender in Rural Africa
Girls in Rural Africa: Invisible Members of Society
Conclusion

Chapter 6 Africa's Mobile Phone Revolution: Informal Economy, Creativity and Informal Spaces
Introduction
The Last Forty Years of Informal Economy Evolution and Sophistication in Africa
Major Informal Economy Debates
The African Informal Economy on the Ground
International Informal Economy Entanglements: E-Waste in Africa sidebar
The Diversity of Informal Workers, Soweto Township, South Africa sidebar
Dynamism, Creativity and Informality
Mobile Phones: "The New Talking Drums" of Everyday Africa
Ushahidi: Built in Africa for the World
Designing Sustainable Prototypes for Africa's Informals
Community-Led Enumerations and Mapping: Counting Lives and Building Community in Kibera, Kenya sidebar
Slum Tourism and Shack Chic: Are They Good Ideas? sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 7 Migration
Introduction
African Athletes and Global Sports Recruitment sidebar
Colonial Policies and Migration
Circular Migration
Burkina Faso: Circular Migration in Time and Space sidebar
Forced Migrants: Refugees and IDPs
The Johannesburg Hub: How Many Foreigners Are Present? sidebar
Migrant Remittances to Africa
The Hawala System of Transfer in the Horn of Africa sidebar
Transnational Houses sidebar
Human Trafficking and Smuggling
"Migrant Journeys in Pursuit of the South African Dream" sidebar
Out of Africa: US and European Movements
Conclusions

Chapter 8 Water
Introduction
Africa's Water
Water and Sanitation: Colonialism to the Present
Indigenous Knowledge of Water sidebar
Water Grabbing sidebar
Water and Poverty
Transboundary Water Issues
Virtual Water
Water Footprint of Cut Flowers in Kenya: What Is the True Cost? sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 9 Health
Introduction
Technology Bright Spots in Health Arenas sidebar
Africa's Disease Burden
Africa's Health Data Lacuna
Sickness and Health: The Colonial Legacies of Inherited Health Systems
The Nexus of International Health Policy and National Health Policies, 1980-Present
HIV/AIDS: An Extraordinary African Struggle
AIDS in Uganda: An Unfinished Success Story sidebar
Global Health Funding Priorities, Emphases, and Omissions: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Mental Health
Mental Health in Africa sidebar
Urban Health
Traditional Medicine and Healers sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 10 Land and Food
Introduction
Why Has Africa Become a Net Food Importing Region?
Contemporary Agriculture in Africa: "The Great African Land Grab"?
South Africans' Next "Great Trek" into Africa sidebar
Benefits and Risks of Land Investments
Geographies of the FDI in African Agricultural Lands
The Fairtrade Debate sidebar
Ethical Wildflower Trade and Sustainability: Flower Valley, South Africa
Arguments For and Against Large-Scale FDI in African Agricultural Land
Urban Agriculture
Cape Town: The Paradox of Urban Food Insecurity in a Food-Secure Country sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 11 Climate Change
Introduction
Environmental Changes on Mount Kilimanjaro
Climate Impacts on Africa
The Human Impacts of Climate Change
African Cities and Climate Change: An Urgent Agenda
Is the Conflict in Darfur the World's First Climate Change War? sidebar
Global Climate Stalemate and Funding Intransigence: African Voices
Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies in the African Sahel sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 12 China and Africa
Introduction
China Returns to Africa
Chinese Migration to Africa
Chinese Entrepreneurs in Africa's Informal Economies
The African Diaspora in China: African Entrepreneurs in the "Dragon's Den"
China's Infrastructure Investments to Africa: Building Bridges?
China's Stadium Diplomacy sidebar
A Pathway to Economic Development: China's Special Economic Zone in Lekki, Nigeria sidebar
China and Zambia Relations sidebar
Conclusions

Chapter 13 African Futures
Introduction
Washington's Engagement with Africa
Africa's Terrorism Threats
Post-MDGs: Which Alternatives?
Durable Strengths that Africa Can Draw On sidebar
New Urban Futures
Eko-Atlantic (Nigeria) sidebar
Urban Sustainability
Sseesamirembe, Uganda: Sustainable Utopias Going Awry in a Global World sidebar
Evidence of an Unsustainable World
Post-MDGs: The Sustainable Development Agenda
Rethinking Urbanism
Livable Urbanism
Conclusion