The Ghana Reader is out!

The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics Kwasi Konadu and Clifford C. Campbell, editors Covering 500 years of Ghana’s history, The Ghana Reader provides a multitude of historical, political, and cultural perspectives on this iconic African nation. Whether discussing the Asante kingdom and the Gold Coast’s importance to European commerce and transatlantic slaving, Ghana’s brief period…

GSA 2015 Year in Review

[First posted on the GSA Facebook page on 2 January. Compiled by Carina Ray. Note: This list is based on members’ response to the call to submit articles, books, awards, etc.] 2015 was an incredibly productive year for GSA members. Here’s a look back at some of what we accomplished. New Books Akosua Adomako Ampofo…

New publications from David Owusu-Ansah

David Owusu-Ansah’s 2013 co-authored book Islamic Learning, the State and the Challenges of Education in Ghana presents a comprehensive historical study of the interaction of Islamic education with educational policy in Ghana. It is based on rich analyses of documents, interviews and statistical data. The data from the study is available through the free-access digital…

New Book By Mensah Adinkrah

Witchcraft violence is a feature of many contemporary African societies. In Ghana, belief in witchcraft and the malignant activities of putative witches is prevalent; purported witches are blamed for all manner of adversities including inexplicable illnesses and untimely deaths. As in other historical periods and other societies, in contemporary Ghana, alleged witches are typically female,…

The Politics of Chieftaincy

Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch’s new book, The Politics of Chieftaincy examines debates over authority and property in Accra, Ghana, during the peak decades of British colonial rule. Between 1920 and 1950, imperial policies marginalized educated elites, local authorities, and landowners in favor of Ga chiefs, whom the British authorities viewed as more loyal to the empire. Conflicts erupted throughout…