Charles Villa-vicencio

The African Renaissance and the Afro-Arab Spring: A Season of Rebirth? Charles Villa-vicencio

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; The hope and despair surrounding the Afro-Arab Spring in North Africa has only begun to be played out in regional and global politics. And the call for an African renaissance that followed the miraculous political transition in South Africa is, twenty years later, viewed with similar ambiguity. What is clear is that current developments in Africa, north and south, promise something markedly different from what has prevailed at any point since the dawn of the African independence movements of the 1950s and 60s. But the continent's own identity remains unresolved, posing the question whether and how its multiple and divergent experiences can be understood and perhaps woven into a basis for unity. Contributors to this volume explore whether or not events north of the Sahara and on the southern tip of Africa can be catalysts for change in other parts of the continent. Chapters assesses the nature of political resistance, revolution, and transition in North and Southern Africa, addressing critical factors--economics, culture, gender, theology--that reveal the promises and perils of African reform. Includes a foreword by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

Contributor Bio:  Villa-Vicencio, Charles Charles Villa-Vicencio is Professor of Religion and Society at the University of Cape Town. Thomas Karis is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the City University of New York and Senior Research Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute on the United Nations. He is the coeditor of "From Protest to Challenge: A Documentary History of African Politics in South Africa". Contributor Bio:  Doxtader, Erik Erik Doxtader is Professor of Rhetoric at the University of South Carolina and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Contributor Bio:  Moosa, Ebrahim Ebrahim Moosa is associate professor of religious studies and associate director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center.