The years 1988 to 1996 are significant in Francophone West Africa as three decades of state party monopolies of national, economic and social development gave way to popular movements and widespread re participation in the running of public affairs. Coalitions of social movements were formed, federalised and then dispersed. Their dispersal however did not render the democratic stakes any less urgent. The author identifies the present difficulty moving beyond notions of democracy conceived to suit any circumstances of discourse, to a more concrete definition. The author also argues that what is at stake for democracy stretches well beyond the parameters styled by governments and encompasses for example conditions of reproduction of West African societies. Text in French. BNS, 153pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA, 2869781210

Building on the critical foundations of Edward Said's Orientalism, the author examines the relationship between the Orientalist tradition in French art and literature and the country's colonial history. A particular focus of the study is the prevalence of the 'oriental woman' and the interplay of race and gender in both domestic and colonial history. Index, bib, notes, xiv, 234pp, USA. STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0804751005

Second Edition, with two new chapters that discuss developments in the region since 1985. Focusing on the French speaking countries of West and Central Africa, the book brings out the way in which the pre-colonial African heritage shaped new societies, in interaction with French and Belgian colonial rules, and with global economic and cultural forces. Maps, bib, index, ix, 247pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0521645190

Offers evidence to suggest that through its educational policy the French government was determined to keep the Vietnamese ands the West African population subservient. BNS, index, USA. AMSP, 0404616801

A study of francophone African literary production at the end of the twentieth century, proposing that the literatures are characterised by a remarkable vitality and diversity. TEXT IN FRENCH. BNS, 94pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

Examines the links between literature and the state in Francophone Africa and the contribution writers have made in the transition to democracy. Index, bib, notes, 260pp, USA. INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0253215544

This is probably this strange writer's strangest work says the translator of this first English edition of Roussel's final creative work. The poem's structure resembles hypertext, endless successions of afterthoughts separated by growing clumps of brackets, which plunge the reader into a labyrinth. It took him 12 years to compose, or as he himself calculated, approximately 19,110 hours. Illustrated by an artist Roussel commissioned through a private detective agency so as not to have to show him the text, the pictures are trapped inside uncut pages. This edition reproduces the original format with its special uncut pages, includes the French text opposite the English, and Roussel's instructions to the despondent Zo. The translation is by Ian Monk with the assistance of Harry Mathews, both members of the Oulipo, a (mainly French) group of writers and mathematicians. 256pp, UK. ATLAS PRESS.

Anthology of previously untranslated work, dating from the 1930s until the present. Includes work by Werewere Liking, Veronique Tadjo and Assia Djebar. Foreword by Kadija Sesay. Bib, 137pp, UK. HEAVENTREE.

New in paperback. Traces the political evolution of the fourteen countries in west and equatorial Africa, exploring the elements that have shaped their particular political dynamics while allowing them to remain part of a unique francophone socio-political community. Index, bib, apps, 425pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

A wide ranging survey of ethnic minorities, principally from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, in contemporary France, and the vibrant cultural practices they have forged. BNS, 290pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

A collection of papers by sociologists in Francophone African countries, including Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo, Benin, Senegal and Togo looking primarily at urban rural relations. Index, notes, 201pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE, 917106401X

An interdisciplinary study of Francophone African literature bringing in aspects of African philosophy, literary theory, postcolonial studies and cinema. Index, bib, notes, x, 215pp, USA. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESS, 0813921457

Tells the story of the almost forgotten ill-equipped ragtag French force and details the units that participated in this struggle. BNS, 152pp, USA. GREENWOOD, 0313316546

An examination of the role of the Vichy regime in bringing about profound changes in the French colonial empire after World War II, looking in particular at the nature of the beginnings of decolonisation. BNS, 401pp, USA. STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0804741794