2010 Faculty Books

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Hossein G. Askari, Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs

The Stability of Islamic Finance: Creating a Resilient Financial Environment for a Secure Future, (Foreword by Sir Andrew Crockett) Hossein Askari, Zamir Iqbal, Noureddine Krichene and Abbas Mirakhor (John Wiley and Sons, 2010).

This new book by a group of four Western-trained Islamic economists is greatly welcomed. It builds on and extends their earlier work on the topic and will become essential reading for all those with an interest in the economic implications of Islamic finance. The Stability of Islamic Finance develops themes that link Islamic finance to existing traditions in economics; that assess the stability properties of Islamic financial instruments, and that explain some of the key Islamic concepts in economists terms. It will be an invaluable source for those who want to know more about the nature of the financial instruments that go to make up an Islamic financial system, and to understand how an Islamic financial system might work in a twenty-first century context. It is a provocative and insightful assessment of the economic properties of Islamic finance that deserves to be read and reflected on by Islamic and non-Islamic economists alike.

Hossein G. Askari, Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs

Islam and the Path to Human and Economic Development, Abbas Mirakhor and Hossein G. Askari (Palgrave Macmillan, July 2010).

There is a cognitive deficit between the holistic vision for human and societal development in Islam and the results achieved by Muslim societies. The authors begin by looking at the Western concept of development, which in recent years has recognized the wider dimensions of human development and the role of institutions. Thus Western thinking has moved toward the Islamic vision and path of development, emphasizing human solidarity, belonging, wellbeing, sharing, concern for others, basic human entitlements, and modest living. The authors illuminate the Quranic vision and the experience of the society organized by the Prophet, which together represent the Islamic paradigm.

Hossein G. Askari, Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs

Scheherazade S. Rehman, Professor of International Business/Finance and International Affairs

Corruption And Its Manifestation In The Persian Gulf, Hossein Askari, Scheherazade S. Rehman, Noora Arfaa (Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd., 2010)

The authors of this timely book investigate various forms and measures of corruption, examine whether corruption is more acute in Persian Gulf countries than elsewhere, and illustrate the unique forms it takes in oil- and natural gas-rich economies. They also analyze the major factors that promote corrupt practices and how they impact economic growth and social development.

While corruption is globally pervasive and adversely affects the interests of citizens worldwide, it has perhaps received the most notoriety in developing countries that have an abundance of mineral deposits. Among these developing countries, the oil-exporting countries of the Persian Gulf have received a significant amount of this attention in the popular media. This book argues that for intergenerational equity to be preserved while exploiting oil and gas reserves, other forms of capital must replace their depletion to preserve a constant capital stock. Corruption, wasteful expenditures — such as spending on armament and war — and even productive expenditures — those that enrich individual segments of society — rob much of the world's population. The authors conclude the book by offering a radical solution for containing corruption in natural resource-rich countries.

This timely and thought-provoking work will resonate within the academic and business worlds alike. Those interested in Middle East studies, the Persian Gulf, multinational corporations, corporate governance efforts and private NGOs will find this book of particular importance.

Edward D. Berkowitz, Professor of History and of Public Policy and Public Administration

Mass Appeal: The Formative Age of the Movies, Radio and TV, Edward D. Berkowitz (Cambridge University Press, November 2010).

Mass Appeal describes the changing world of American popular culture from the first sound movies through the age of television. In short vignettes, the book reveals the career patterns of people who became big movie, TV, or radio stars. Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson symbolize the early stars of sound movies. Groucho Marx and Fred Astaire represent the movie stars of the 1930s, and Jack Benny stands in for the 1930s performers who achieved their success on radio. Katharine Hepburn, a stage and film star, illustrates the cultural trends of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Humphrey Bogart and Bob Hope serve as examples of performers who achieved great success during the Second World War. Walt Disney, Woody Allen, and Lucille Ball, among others, become the representative figures of the postwar world. Through these vignettes, the reader comes to understand the development of American mass media in the twentieth century.

Michael E. Brown, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs; Professor of International Affairs and Political Science

Going Nuclear: Nuclear Proliferation and International Security in the 21st Century, Michael E. Brown, Owen R. Coté Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller, Eds. (MIT, 2010).

The spread of nuclear weapons is one of the most significant challenges to global security in the twenty-first century. Limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons and materials may be the key to preventing a nuclear war or a catastrophic act of nuclear terrorism. "Going Nuclear" offers conceptual, historical, and analytical perspectives on current problems in controlling nuclear proliferation. It includes essays that examine why countries seek nuclear weapons as well as studies of the nuclear programs of India, Pakistan, and South Africa. The final section of the book offers recommendations for responding to the major contemporary proliferation challenges: keeping nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of terrorists, ensuring that countries that renounce nuclear weapons never change their minds, and cracking down on networks that illicitly spread nuclear technologies.

Michael E. Brown, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs; Professor of International Affairs and Political Science

Contending with Terrorism: Roots Strategies, and Responses, Michael E. Brown, Owen R. Coté Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller, Eds. (MIT, 2010).

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, scholars and policy analysts in national security have turned their attention to terrorism, considering not only how to prevent future attacks but also the roots of the problem. This book offers some of the latest research in terrorism studies. The contributors examine the sources of contemporary terrorism, discussing the impact of globalization, the influence of religious beliefs, and the increasing dissatisfaction felt by the world's powerless. They consider the strategies and motivations of terrorists, offering contending perspectives on whether or not terrorists can be said to achieve their goals; explore different responses to the threat of terrorism, discussing such topics as how the United States can work more effectively with its allies; and contemplate the future of al-Qaida, asking if its networked structure is an asset or a liability.

The essays in Contending with Terrorism address some of the central topics in the analysis of contemporary terrorism. They promise to guide future policy and inspire further research into one of most important security issues of the twenty-first century.

Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Between Religion and Politics, Nathan J. Brown and Amr Hamzawy (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2010)

As Islamist movements in the Arab world become more politically active, they are struggling to pursue their moral and religious agenda while navigating daily political tussles. In the face of repressive regimes, they have achieved some popular support, but enjoyed few — if any — concrete successes, write Nathan J. Brown and Amr Hamzawy in their new book Between Religion and Politics.

As a result, Islamist movements in Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, Palestine, and Kuwait have failed to satisfy their political and religious constituencies. In the coming years, Islamist movements are likely to scale back their political engagement.

Jonathan Chaves, Professor of Chinese

West Cliff Poems: The Poetry of Weng Chuan(Ahadada Books, December 2010).

Translated from the Chinese with an Introduction and Notes by Jonathan Chaves. Foreword by Burton Watson. Illustrations from Lan Ying. This is the first book in any language devoted to Weng Chüan (d. after 1214), one of the most influential late-Sung Dynasty poets, known for his intimate nature poetry.

Bruce Dickson, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Allies of the State: China's Private Entrepreneurs and Democratic Change, Bruce J. Dickson and Jie Chen (Harvard University Press, 2010)

Bruce Dickson and Jie Chen draw on extensive fieldwork as they explore the extent to which China's private sector supports democracy, surveying more than 2,000 entrepreneurs in five coastal provinces with over 70 percent of China's private enterprises.

The authors examine who the private entrepreneurs are, how the party-state shapes this group, and what their relationship to the state is. China's entrepreneurs are closely tied to the state through political and financial relationships, and these ties shape their views toward democracy. While most entrepreneurs favor multi-candidate elections under the current one-party system, they do not support a system characterized by multi-party competition and political liberties, including the right to demonstrate. The key to regime support lies in the capitalists' political beliefs and their assessment of the government's policy performance. China's capitalists tend to be conservative and status-quo oriented, not likely to serve as agents of democratization.

This is a valuable contribution not only to the debates over the prospects for democracy in China but also to understanding the process of democratization around the globe.

Mohssen Esseesy, Assistant Professor of Arabic and International Affairs; Coordinator, Arabic Program

Grammaticalization of Arabic Prepositions and Subordinators: A Corpus-Based Study, Mohssen Esseesy, (Brill, 2010).

Previous scholarship on Arabic prepositions typically has presented these as a static closed class of words. Inevitably, such a treatment does not take into account the diachronic development of prepositions into new functions in syntax, semantics and discourse. The present study applies grammaticalization theory to the analysis of prepositions and subordinators across varieties of Arabic. It goes beyond the traditional single-word focus and treats prepositions as parts of multiword complexes. Drawing upon a sizeable base of authentic historical and present-day Arabic data, it presents a rigorously descriptive and quantitative analysis of evolutionary processes involving prepositional forms and subordinators.

Ilana Feldman, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs

In the Name of Humanity: The Government of Threat and Care, Ilana Feldman, Miriam Ticktin, Eds. (Duke University Press, 2010).

Scientists, activists, state officials, NGOs, and others increasingly claim to speak and act on behalf of "humanity." The remarkable array of circumstances in which humanity is invoked testifies to the category's universal purchase. Yet what exactly does it mean to govern, fight, and care in the name of humanity? In this timely collection, leading anthropologists and cultural critics grapple with that question, examining configurations of humanity in relation to biotechnologies, the natural environment, and humanitarianism and human rights. From the global pharmaceutical industry, to forest conservation, to International Criminal Tribunals, the domains they analyze highlight the diversity of spaces and scales at which humanity is articulated.

The editors argue that ideas about humanity find concrete expression in the governing work that operationalizes those ideas to produce order, prosperity, and security. As a site of governance, humanity appears as both an object of care and a source of anxiety. Assertions that humanity is being threatened, whether by environmental catastrophe or political upheaval, provide a justification for the elaboration of new governing techniques. At the same time, humanity itself is identified as a threat (to nature, to nation, to global peace) which governance must contain. These apparently contradictory understandings of the relation of threat to the category of humanity coexist and remain in tension, helping to maintain the dynamic co-production of governance and humanity.

Martha Finnemore, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Susan K. Sell, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Director, Institute for Global and International Studies

Who Governs the Globe?, Deborah D. Avant, Martha Finnemore, and Susan K. Sell, Eds. (Cambridge, 2010).

Global governance — what it is and how it works — is a hot topic among academics and policymakers, but rarely do these groups examine who actually does the governing. In Who Governs the Globe? GW faculty members Martha Finnemore and Susan Sell and co-editor Deborah Avant offer a theoretical framework for understanding and investigating the governors of world politics. They then apply this framework to various governors and policy arenas — including arms control, human rights, economic development, and global education — to help readers understand not just the structure of global governance but also the motivating factors behind it.

Charles L. Glaser, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Director, Institute for Security and Conflict Studies

Rational Theory of International Politics: The Logic of Competition and Cooperation, (Princeton University Press, 2010).

Within the realist school of international relations, a prevailing view holds that the anarchic structure of the international system invariably forces the great powers to seek security at one another's expense, dooming even peaceful nations to an unrelenting struggle for power and dominance. Rational Theory of International Politics offers a more nuanced alternative to this view, one that provides answers to the most fundamental and pressing questions of international relations.

Why do states sometimes compete and wage war while at other times they cooperate and pursue peace? Does competition reflect pressures generated by the anarchic international system or rather states' own expansionist goals? Are the United States and China on a collision course to war, or is continued coexistence possible? Is peace in the Middle East even feasible? Charles Glaser puts forward a major new theory of international politics that identifies three kinds of variables that influence a state's strategy: the state's motives, specifically whether it is motivated by security concerns or "greed"; material variables, which determine its military capabilities; and information variables, most importantly what the state knows about its adversary's motives.

Rational Theory of International Politics demonstrates that variation in motives can be key to the choice of strategy; that the international environment sometimes favors cooperation over competition; and that information variables can be as important as material variables in determining the strategy a state should choose.

Roy Richard Grinker, Professor of Anthropology, International Affairs, and Human Sciences

Stephen C. Lubkemann, Associate Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs

Perspectives on Africa: A Reader in Culture, History and Representation, 2nd Edition. Roy Richard Grinker, Stephen C. Lubkemann, and Christopher B. Steiner, eds. (Wiley-Blackwell, May 2010)

Shoko Hamano, Professor of Japanese and International Affairs; Director, Language Center

Basic Japanese, Shoko Hamano and Takae Tsujioka (Routledge, 2010).

Basic Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.

This book presents 25 individual grammar points, covering the core material which students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning Japanese.

Divided into two parts, the first part outlines fundamental components of Japanese including the writing system, pronunciation, word order, particles and conjugation patterns, while the second part builds on this foundation by introducing basic grammatical patterns organised by the task they achieve. Grammar points are followed by contextualised examples and exercises which allow students to reinforce and consolidate their learning.

Roy D. Kamphausen, part-time faculty

The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China's Military, Roy D. Kamphausen, David Lai, and Andrew Scobell (eds.) (The Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, July 2010)

The chapters presented in this volume have demonstrated first, Chinese and PLA leaders have a strong sense of mission and concern for China's security and well-being. Second, the PLA is committed to the transformation in military affairs with Chinese characteristics. Third, the PLA is eager to learn from the U.S. military to expand and improve its operational capabilities. Finally, the PLA has made progress in its transformation and operational capabilities. For a long time, American leaders have been surprised with the PLA's advances. This volume (and many of the previous volumes from past PLA conferences) show that these advances did not come out of the blue. Although much of the learning and many of the improvements are still far from what is desired (from Chinese expectations and American critiques), and some of the learning has even created contradictions for the PLA, these persistent and diligent learning practices will eventually bring the PLA to a higher level of proficiency in its capabilities. The emergence of a much more sophisticated PLA in the coming years should not be a surprise.

Merve Kavakci, Lecturer of International Affairs

Headscarf Politics in Turkey: A Postcolonial Reading (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010)

Covering of Muslim women is often perceived as a sign of oppression in the Western eye. Nonetheless, there are a soaring number of women who choose to wear the Islamic headgear as a sign of their liberation and commitment to God. Although these women have long been of interest for the peoples of the Occident with endless material produced about them in the past, it was invariably through the monotonal voice of the Orientalist from a position of outside authority. Here the reader will hear, for a change, the insiders' voices from within the Orient, the voices of the contemporary Turkish women who cover, willingly and yes, decisively. Their day to day struggles in search for their niche in the secular Turkish society is intended to open a new window and provide an alternative perspective for the Western reader.

Gina M.S. Lambright, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Decentralization in Uganda: Explaining Successes and Failures in Local Governance, (First Forum Press, November, 2010)

Why do some African local governments perform well, while others fail to deliver even the most basic services to their constituents? Gina Lambright finds answers to this question in her investigation of the factors that contribute to good — and those that result in ineffective — institutional performance at the district level in Uganda. Examining the conditions under which local populations are able to shape the performance of their local governments, she adeptly combines quantitative analysis across 56 Ugandan district governments with in-depth case studies of Lira, Mpigi, and Bushenyi.

James H. Lebovic, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

The Limits of U.S. Military Capability: Lessons from Vietnam and Iraq, James H. Lebovic (Johns Hopkins University Press, June 2010).

James H. Lebovic establishes that the size, strength, flexibility, and adaptability of the U.S. military cannot ensure victory in asymmetrical conflicts.

In The Limits of U.S. Military Capability, Lebovic shows how political and psychological factors trumped U.S. military superiority in Vietnam and Iraq, where inappropriate strategies, low stakes, and unrealistic goals mired the United States military in protracted, no-win conflicts.

Lebovic contends that the United States is at a particular disadvantage when fighting a counterinsurgency without the full support of the host government; when leveraging various third parties (the adversary's foreign allies, societal leaders, and indigenous populations); when attempting to build coalitions and nations while involved in combat; and when sustaining government and public support at home when costs rise and benefits decline.

Lebovic cautions against involving the U.S. military in operations without first considering U.S. stakes and suggests that the military take a less-is-more approach when choosing to employ force. Ambitious goals bring higher costs, unexpected results, diminished options, and a greater risk of failure.

Rejecting the heavy-handed approach that is typical of most comparisons between the Vietnam and Iraq wars, The Limits of U.S. Military Capability carefully assesses evidence to develop lessons applicable to other conflicts — especially the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Barbara Miller, Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs; Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs; Director, Culture in Global Affairs Research and Policy Program

Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World, 2nd edition (Pearson, 2010)

Successfully integrating attention to globalization, gender, class, race and ethnicity, and the environment, this text engages students with compelling ethnographic examples and by demonstrating the relevance of anthropology. Faculty and students praise the book's proven ability to generate class discussion, increase faculty-student engagement, and enhance student learning.

This book, based on Miller's full-length Cultural Anthropology text, will generate class discussion, increase faculty-student engagement, and enhance student learning. Material throughout the book highlights the relevance of anthropology to students and how they can apply in their careers. By entwining attention to key theories for understanding culture with an emphasis on relevance of anthropological knowledge and skills, this text is the perfect choice for introductory cultural anthropology courses.

Marie Price, Professor of Geography and International Affairs

Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World, 3rd edition, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, Les Rowntree, William Wyckoff (Prentice Hall, July 2010)

This exciting, contemporary approach to World Regional Geography explicitly acknowledges the geographic changes that accompany today's rapid rate of globalization. The book's unique approach gives students access to the latest ideas, concepts and theories in geography while also developing a strong foundation in the fundamentals of world regions. It helps professors convey a strong sense of place and an understanding of the connections within and between world regions.

Globalization and Diversity is a briefer version of the popular Diversity Amid Globalization by the same authors. This distillation focuses on core materials that professors and students need in a World Regional Geography course. This condensed book is a useful tool for those instructors interested in a briefer text, or for those who are concerned about the reading ability of their students.

Bernard Reich, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, 6th Edition, co-edited with David E. Long and Mark Gasiorowski (Westview Press, 2010)

The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa continues to provide comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of the region's critical contemporary events and issues. Invited specialists contribute authoritative overviews of the government and politics of each country in the Middle East and North Africa. As in previous editions, country chapters are systematically organized to address historical background, social and economic conditions, politics, and foreign policy, and each chapter features an updated data table for easy compare and contrast.

The sixth edition has been revised throughout to reflect recent substantial changes in the Middle East and includes seventeen new maps and a new introductory chapter on the region. In addition, the authors provide vital new considerations of major developments, including Iran's nuclear policies; political dynamics in postwar Iraq; Israel's post-Sharon politics; the fragmentation of Palestinian representation between Hamas inGaza and Fatah in the West Bank; as well as recent developments in Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon.

Peter Rollberg, Professor of Slavic Languages, Film Studies and International Affairs

The A to Z of Russian and Soviet Cinema, (Scarecrow Press, 2010).

Film lovers all over the world are familiar with the masterpieces of Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. These directors' unique achievements were embedded in a powerful process that began under Russia's last tsar and underwent several periods of blossoming: the bourgeois cinema in the 1910s, the revolutionary avant-garde in the 1920s, the Thaw in the 1950s, and the awakening of national cinemas in the 1960s and 1970s.

The A to Z of Russian and Soviet Cinema is the first reference work of its kind in the English language devoted entirely to the cinema of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet period, including both the cinematic highlights and the mainstream. The cinemas of the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Latvia, are also represented with their most influential artists. Through a chronology, an introduction essay, a bibliography, and over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on filmmakers, performers, cinematographers, composers, producers, studios, genres, and outstanding films, this reference work covers the history of Russian and Soviet filmmaking from 1896 to 2007.

Steven Suranovic, Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs

A Moderate Compromise: Economic Policy Choice in an Era of Globalization, Steven Suranovic (Palgrave Macmillan, November 2010).

Looking at all sides of the globalization debate, Suranovic analyzes how international economic policy is made and how it has become so controversial. He offers a solution to the debate between free trade/unregulated markets and the push for greater government involvement that is consistent with both economic efficiency and social justice.

Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs

U.S.-Chinese Relations: Perilous Past, Pragmatic Present, n.b.: Rowman & Littlefield, July 2010.

This comprehensive and lucid assessment of the historical and contemporary determinants of Sino-American relations explains the conflicted engagement between the two governments. Offering a welcome richness of discussion and analysis, distinguished analyst Robert G. Sutter explores the twists and turns of the relationship over the past two hundred years. The mixed historical record convincingly shows that strong differences and mutual suspicions persist, only partly overridden by a mutual pragmatism that shifts with circumstances. Sutter judiciously considers the evolution and status of current areas of convergence and divergence in the relationship. He identifies key domestic and international factors that have led to the current positive but fragile equilibrium and what is at stake for the respective interests of the United State and China and for international stability. As the only book on the subject that combines a unified assessment of the historical evolution, contemporary status, and likely prospects of U.S.-Chinese relations, this balanced and pragmatic study will be an essential resource for all concerned with the globe's most crucial bilateral partnership.

Paul D. Williams, Associate Professor of International Affairs; Associate Director, Security Policy Studies Program

The International Politics of Mass Atrocities: The Case of Darfur, Black, David R. and Williams, Paul D. (Eds.), (Routledge, 2010).

The ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan has stimulated a huge amount of political and academic interest across the world. The crisis has been both reflective and constitutive of key areas of contestation and change within contemporary international society.

This book examines the crisis in Darfur as a case study of some of the wider debates currently taking place within International Relations theory. Using the conceptual framework developed by English School theorists, specifically their concept of international society and the related idea of "good international citizenship", this book examines a wide range of issues: foreign policy analysis, theories of norm diffusion, international organizations, peace operations, international criminal justice and war law, the causes and nature of contemporary warfare, and the international relations of Africa.

Making an important contribution to the debate about the meaning and limits of international society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars international relations theory, international security, foreign policy, international organizations, human rights, African politics, genocide studies and international law.

Paul D. Williams, Associate Professor of International Affairs; Associate Director, Security Policy Studies Program

Understanding Peacekeeping, Alex Bellamy and Paul D. Williams, (Polity, 2010).

Peace operations are now a principal tool for managing armed conflict and building world peace. The fully revised, expanded and updated second edition of Understanding Peacekeeping provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the theory, practice and politics of contemporary peace operations.

Drawing on more than twenty-five historical and contemporary case studies, this book evaluates the changing characteristics of the contemporary environment in which peacekeepers operate, what role peace operations play in wider processes of global politics, the growing impact of non-state actors, and the major challenges facing today's peacekeepers. All the chapters have been revised and expanded and eight new chapters have been added.

Part 1 summarizes the central concepts and issues related to peace operations. It includes a new discussion of the theories of peace operations and analysis of the emerging responsibility to protect norm. Part 2 charts the historical development of peacekeeping from 1945 and includes a new chapter on peace operations in the 21st century. In Part 3, separate chapters analyze seven different types of peace operations: preventive deployments; traditional peacekeeping; assisting transition; transitional administrations; wider peacekeeping; peace enforcement; and peace support operations. Part 4 looks forward and examines the central challenges facing today's peacekeepers, namely, globalization, the regionalization of peace operations, the privatization of security, civilian protection, policing and gender issues.

The second edition of Understanding Peacekeeping will be essential reading for students and scholars of peace and conflict studies, security studies, and international relations.

Andrew Zimmerman, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs

Alabama in Africa: Booker T. Washington, the German Empire, and the Globalization of the New South, (Princeton University Press, 2010).

In 1901, the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, sent an expedition to the German colony of Togo in West Africa, with the purpose of transforming the region into a cotton economy similar to that of the post-Reconstruction American South. Alabama in Africa explores the politics of labor, sexuality, and race behind this endeavor, and the economic, political, and intellectual links connecting Germany, Africa, and the southern United States. The cross-fertilization of histories and practices led to the emergence of a global South, reproduced social inequities on both sides of the Atlantic, and pushed the American South and the German Empire to the forefront of modern colonialism.

Zimmerman shows how the people of Togo, rather than serving as a blank slate for American and German ideologies, helped shape their region's place in the global South. He looks at the forms of resistance pioneered by African American freedpeople, Polish migrant laborers, African cotton cultivators, and other groups exploited by, but never passive victims of, the growing colonial political economy. Zimmerman reconstructs the social science of the global South formulated by such thinkers as Max Weber and W.E.B. Du Bois, and reveals how their theories continue to define contemporary race, class, and culture.

Tracking the intertwined histories of Europe, Africa, and the Americas at the turn of the century, Alabama in Africa shows how the politics and economics of the segregated American South significantly reshaped other areas of the world.

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