An in depth study of African men looking at what it means for an African to be masculine, and how male identity is shaped by patriarchal cultural structures and a variety of religious and knowledge systems. BNS, 256pp, UK. PALGRAVE/MACMILLAN.

Argues that, where Njabulo Ndebele once called for a rediscovery of the familiar, in African Studies events within civic and public spheres have so dominated the field that it has almost been impossible to define the familiar in any other way outside the public sphere. The African family has thus been assimilated to the discourse of the public and the domain of intimacy and privacy has been rendered non-existent. Given the notorious reputation that African men have of being patriarchal and often not paying serious attention to their female offspring, the subject of African men's attitudes to their daughters has also not had any attention in the field. It has also been a challenge to discover what women think of their African fathers. By combining essays from women about their African fathers and vice versa, this anthology aims to provide a significant set of insights into the relationship between fathers and daughters, and also explores the gap in the perception of African fatherhood. Contributors include: Abiola Irele, Simon Gikandi, Anthonia Kalu, Harry Garuba, Leila Aboulela, Paul Zeleza, Helon Habila, Abena Busia, Véronique Tadjo, Obiageli Okigbo, Zina Saro-Wiwa, Ama de-Graft Johnson and Sarah Manyika. Index, 200pp, UK. AYEBIA.

Based on examples of interventions in five fields - reproductive, sexual health, fatherhood, gender-based violence, livelihoods, and work with young men - this study aims to provide a critical account of practical experience of work with men for gender equality. With case studies from around the world, including South Africa. Index, apps, notes, xvi, 240pp, UK. OXFAM PUBLICATIONS.

This working paper argues for a mature understanding of how gender, race, and poverty interlink to disadvantage particular categories of men, as well as women. Current 'in-house' approaches in more than thirty development organisations are reviewed, and suggestions are made for a more gender-balanced, male-inclusive approach. 5 tables, 2 boxes, app, vi, 60pp, UK . OXFAM PUBLICATIONS.

Several contributions explore the complex transnational intersections and interactions occurring in the way men's practices are developing across the globe. In addi-tion to this comparative analysis a wide range of national case studies are included, including one from South Africa. BNS, maps, figs, notes, bib, index, 288pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

An invaluable contribution to the emerging body of African masculinity studies, drawing on the epic, folk tales, proverbs and song genres. The book explores the pervasive influence of orality on patterns of thought, as well as underlying notions of masculinity in African societies through the work of writers such as Chinua Achebe, Ama Ata Aidoo, Ahmadou Kourouma, Nuruddin Farah and Nawal El Saadawi. Index, bib, notes, 352pp, UK. AYEBIA.

This collection of essays, the seventh of the CODESRIA Gender Series, critically examines the diverse expressions and ramifications of African masculinities and how these impact on gender relations on the continent. 280pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

This pioneering reader is designed to fill a glaring gap in the proliferating literature on gender and development, gender and international political economy, and gender and conflict. While there is now a broad and sophisticated feminist literature on the lives and experiences of Third World women and their role in development, there has been a tendency either to ignore men as gendered subjects, or to consign them to negative and stereotypical gender roles, often as victimisers and exploiters of Third World women. 320pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Essays challenging stereotypes of African men, addressing meanings of gender and practices of masculinity in both colonial and post colonial periods. Countries studied include Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan. Index, refs, notes, b/w illus, map, xi, 265pp, USA. HEINEMANN INC.

On his wanderings through over a dozen countries, the Dutch author and journalist Aernout Zevenber-gen engaged with a wide variety of men, trying to find answers to the question: 'What does it mean to be a man, today?' Zevenbergen - born in Zambia but raised in the Netherlands - met with paupers and princes, a president and a preacher, truckers and bikers, a king dressed in rags and a warrior with a bandana. All spoke passionately and intimately about their lives, their dreams, their frustrations and their chores. 280pp, SOUTH AFRICA. LAUGHING LEOPARD PRODUCTIONS.

In ten thought-provoking chapters, cultural commentator Bell Hooks, discusses the victimhood of black men in modern western culture. Looking at the ways in which they are hated, feared, admired and objectified, she describes the absence of love and the inability to confront systems of domination in constructive ways. Index, xvii, 162pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.