Friday, July 06, 2007

New Africana Encyclopedia!



Come to the Reference Department and browse the latest encyclopedia to be added to our collection, "Africana" ed. by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates Jr.

"Substantially larger than the first edition (1999), and with expanded references and indexing, this five-volume set covers a vast geographic area and encompasses the complex histories of Africans in Africa and the Americas. It is written for high school level readers and above and for a non-specialist audience. Slavery and the struggle for political and economic freedom and equality are central themes, and the roots of African and African-American culture in the histories of individual countries are thoroughly explored. In addition to topical entries, "interpretation" essays offer, for example, an examination of the dual tradition of African American fiction with discussion of perceptions, stereotypes, and alternative avenues for analysis. Among the topics new to this edition are African American architects, African oral literature, Black classicism in the U.S., the history of writing in Africa, Black literature in South Africa, the transatlantic slave trade database, and migrancy and African literature. "

Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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