Skip to content

The Power of Babel : Language and Governance in the African Experience

The Power of Babel : Language and Governance in the African Experience Paperback - 1998

by Ali A. Mazrui; Alamin M. Mazrui

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback

Description

University of Chicago Press, 1998. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Used - Good
NZ$11.54
FREE Shipping to USA Standard delivery: 4 to 8 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from ThriftBooks (Washington, United States)

Details

  • Title The Power of Babel : Language and Governance in the African Experience
  • Author Ali A. Mazrui; Alamin M. Mazrui
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: First
  • Condition Used - Good
  • Pages 235
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Chicago Press, Chicago
  • Date 1998
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • Bookseller's Inventory # G0226514293I3N00
  • ISBN 9780226514291 / 0226514293
  • Weight 0.81 lbs (0.37 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.63 x 6.06 x 0.75 in (24.46 x 15.39 x 1.91 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: African
    • Ethnic Orientation: African
    • Religious Orientation: Islamic
  • Library of Congress subjects Sociolinguistics - Africa, Africa - Languages
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97032844
  • Dewey Decimal Code 409.6

About ThriftBooks Washington, United States

Biblio member since 2018
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

From the largest selection of used titles, we put quality, affordable books into the hands of readers

Terms of Sale: 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.

Browse books from ThriftBooks

From the rear cover

Linguists estimate that there are currently nearly 2,000 languages in Africa, a staggering figure that is belied by the relatively few national languages. While African national politics, economics and law are all conducted primarily in the colonial languages, the cultural life of the majority of citizens is conducted in a bewildering babel of regional vernaculars and local dialects. In The Power of Babel, Ali Mazrui and Alamin Mazrui explore the cultural and political implications of this linguistic diversity, including the role of language in nationalism and expansionist policies, gender roles, and social theory, to provide one of the most comprehensive studies of the complex linguistic constellations of Africa.

The Power of Babel draws on Ali Mazrui's earlier work in its examination of the "triple heritage" of African culture, in which indigenous, Islamic, and Western traditions compete for influence. In bringing the idea of the triple heritage to language, the Mazruis unravel issues of power, culture, and modernity as they are embedded in African linguistic life. The first section of the book takes a global perspective, exploring such issues as the Eurocentrism of much linguistic scholarship on Africa; part two takes an African perspective on a variety of topics from the linguistically disadvantaged position of women in Africa to the relation of language policy and democratic development; the third section presents a set of regional studies, centering on the Swahili language's exemplification of the triple heritage. The Power of Babel unites empirical information with theories of nationalism and pluralism -- among others -- to consider the future of a linguistically pluralisticAfrica and to offer the richest contextual account of African languages to date.

Media reviews

Citations

  • Univ PR Books for Public Libry, 01/01/1999, Page 31