A comparison of the historical trajectories of former French, British, Portuguese and Spanish colonies examining the effects of different political regimes, the impact of HIV/AIDS, the contagion of warfare and efforts at achieving national reconciliation. Index, bib, notes, maps, xix, 620pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

A comprehensive survey of African history in the post war period. Discusses the themes of self-government, socialism, development and civil war. Important introduction to the study of post colonial Africa. B/w ill, preface, maps, index, xiii, 216pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

At the 1884-1885 Conference of Berlin a cartel of largely European states effectively set the rules for the partition of Africa, an event whose historical and structural importance continues to affect and shape Africa's contemporary international relations. This 'Curse' is a recurring theme in Adebajo's trenchant historical analysis, even though its main focus is on contemporary African issues after the Cold War. The first part of the book examines Africa's quest for security with three essays on Africa's security institu-tions such as the African Union and sub-regional bodies; another on the political, peacekeeping, and socio-economic roles of the United Nations (UN) in Africa; and a third on Africa's two UN Secretaries-General between 1992 and 2006: Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ghana's Kofi Annan. The second section of the book focuses on Africa's quest for leadership, and five chapters examine the hegemonic roles of South Africa, Nigeria, the United States, China and France on the continent. The five chapters in the final section of the study analyse Africa's quest for unity, and examine the roles and significance for Africa of six historical figures: Mandela, Mbeki, Kwame Cecil Rhodes, Obama, and Gandhi; as well as assessing the African Union and the EU in comparative perspective. 384pp, UK. HURST & CO.

The story of the son of a German nurse and a wealthy Liberian, and his life growing up in Nazi Germany. viii, 341pp, UK. FUSION PRESS, 1901250873

Explores the history of Africa in a century of enormous upheavals and changing concepts of political, national, and personal identity. Invaluable reference tool. Each entry includes a guide to further reading. Index, xix, 652pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

A full account of the Great War in Africa, describing how Africans came to be involved and how the continent itself became a theatre of war. These chapters were originally published in the author's study of the First World War, To Arms. Index, bib, maps, viii, 224pp, UK. OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 0199257280

An exploration of the little known fate of Germany's indigenous Black population during the Nazi era and the repercussions of this genocide on modern race relations in Europe. The author uses interviews with the few Black survivors of the concentration camps, and uses extensive archival material to examine the portrayal of Black people in propaganda, Nazi era Black politics and the Afro German resistance movement. Index, bib, notes, app, 312pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE, 0415932955

Evokes facets of life, research, and the effects of rule in tropical Africa from the Second World War to the post independence period. Illustrated with b/w images, notes, index, 325pp, UK. FRANK CASS, 0714648477

Compendium of facts and figures on modern world history, with extensive African references. Index, annotated bib, maps, apps, 582pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

This book completes the author's two volume history of the impact of the mandates system on Anglo French colonialism in Africa from 1914 to 1946. This volume explains how the League of Nations mandates system fused two of the predominant and compelling global forces of the twentieth century: imperialism and Wilsonian internationalism. BNS, 308pp, UK. SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS.

Fourth edition, fully revised and updated. Contains analyses of history, politics, economics, international relations, environmental issues, AIDS, family and kinship, the role of women, religious beliefs, and literature. B/w ill, maps, bib, index, xiv, 476pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

The author, a historian by training, describes the recent history of the continent and explores the causes of its widespread poverty, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the misrule, corruption and disintegration afflicting so many African states. Index, notes, bib, 398pp, NETHERLANDS. KIT, 9068325485

One of the outstanding mysteries of the twentieth century, and one with huge political resonance, is the death of Dag Hammarskjöld and his UN team in a plane crash in central Africa in 1961. Just minutes after midnight, his aircraft plunged into thick forest in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), abruptly ending his mission to bring peace to the Congo. Many around the world suspected sabotage, accusing multinationals and the governments of Britain, Belgium, the USA and South Africa of involve-ment in the disaster. These suspicions have never gone away. Susan Williams argues that the official inquiry by the Rhodesian government was a massive cover-up that suppressed and dismissed a mass of crucial evidence pointing to foul play. Who Killed Hammarskjöld? follows the author on her intriguing and often frightening research, which unearthed a mass of new and hitherto secret documentary and photographic evidence. 368pp, UK. C. HURST & CO..