Originally published in 1978 as part of the Urbanization in Developing Countries series, this is an interdisciplinary study of rapid urban growth in West Africa. Gugler and Flanagan first explore the history of the cities of the early West African empires and they draw on the work of social anthropologists and sociologists, as well as demographers, economists, geographers, historians, political scientists and social psychologists. They then describe the urban explosion that the region experienced after World War II. They explore the implications of widespread urban unemployment and underemployment, the housing crisis and the emergence of metropolitan areas such as Lagos. The literature on urbanization and social change in Black Africa in general, and West Africa in particular, expanded at a fast pace in the years preceding publication. This critical review of the disparate findings filled a gap in African Studies and threw light on the understanding of Third World urbanization.

Originally published in 1971, this book considers the part played by voluntary associations in the growth of towns in West Africa, a factor of central importance to the student of African sociology. No previous book had been devoted to this subject and it was therefore a pioneering work. The book is founded on the Frazer Lecture which Professor Little gave at the University of Cambridge in 1963. Professor Little divides voluntary associations into tribal unions and syncretist cults, groups concerned with mutual benefit and with recreation, and associations based upon the common interest in the Christian Religion or in Western cultural or social pursuits. He then shows how these volunteer societies frequently combine Western aims with traditional African customs. The book indicates some of the important trends in a changing West Africa. It examines the general mechanism of social change in developing areas.

Urbanization is probably the most important process taking place in African countries. This book provides a lucid and informative study of the significance of urbanization for social change in sub-Saharan Africa, which has vital implications for all developing regions. Originally published in 1974.

In 1950, there were only 152 urban agglomerations in West Africa. Since then, the number of agglomerations has increased to almost 2 000 town and cities which are home to 41% of the region’s total population.