Drawing on two decades of research this social and political history of North-Western Ghana traces the creation of new ethnic and territorial boundaries, categories and forms of self-understanding, and represents a major contribution to debates on ethnicity, colonialism and the 'production of history'. It explores the creation and redefinition of ethnic distinctions and commonalities by African and European actors, showing that ethnicity's power derives from a contradiction: while ethnic identities purport to be non-negotiable, creating permanent bonds, stability and security, the boundaries of the communities created and the associated traits and practices are malleable and adaptable to specific interests and contexts.

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.

Ghana, the former British West African colony of the Gold Coast, is known for its rich agricultural, mineral, and petroleum resources. Ghana has made tremendous strides in all areas of life and has become the gateway to West Africa, if not all of Africa. Observers now cite the country’s achievement of economic recovery, political stability, and democratized governance as an example worthy of emulation by other African countries. Historical Dictionary of Ghana, Fifth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 900 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Ghana.

Ghana, the former British colony of the Gold Coast, is historically known for being the first country to the south of the Sahara to attain political independence from colonial rule. It is known for its exports of cocoa and a variety of minerals, especially gold, and it is now an oil exporting country. But Ghana’s importance to the African continent is not only seen in its natural resources or its potential to expand its agricultural output. Rather the nation’s political history of nationalism, the history of military engagement in politics, record of economic depression and the ability to rise from the ashes of political and economic decay is the most unique character of the country. This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Ghana covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Ghana.

States are often minimally present in the rural periphery. Yet a limited presence does not mean a limited impact. Isolated state actions in regions where the state is otherwise scarce can have outsize, long-lasting effects on society. The Scarce State reframes our understanding of the political economy of hinterlands through a multi-method study of Northern Ghana alongside shadow cases from other world regions. Drawing on a historical natural experiment, the book shows how the contemporary economic and political elite emerged in Ghana's hinterland, linking interventions by an ostensibly weak state to new socio-economic inequality and grassroots efforts to reimagine traditional institutions. The book demonstrates how these state-generated societal changes reshaped access to political power, producing dynastic politics, clientelism, and violence. The Scarce State challenges common claims about state-building and state weakness, provides new evidence on the historical origins of inequality, and reconsiders the mechanisms linking historical institutions to contemporary politics.

This volume arises from a cooperation between Ghanaian and German academics. It answers the need to have a more comprehensive and up to date volume which addresses key topics, areas and problems of the Ghanaian education system with a focus on history, policy, and curriculum-related issues. For many years now there have not been new comprehensive publications in this field, and it is necessary to introduce a lot of recent changes in Ghanas education system and reflect about their challenges. The information and positions collected in this volume will be of interest to Policy Makers, Educators, Lecturers, Scholars, Students, Teachers, Parents and other interested people of Ghana and other (West)-African countries. The book will also be of great interest to international scholars who want to understand the Ghanaian education system or are involved in academic projects such as internship, exchange programmes and joint research activities with Ghanaian academics and educational institutions. Akwasi Kwarteng Amoako-Gyampah (PhD) is a senior lecturer in the Department of History Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana and a senior research associate in the Department of History, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bea Lundt is Prof. (emer.) of History and still teaches at the Europe University Flensburg (Germany). She is also Guest-Professor at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana.