Ghana

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Few African countries have garnered as much international attention as Ghana. In the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the colonial Gold Coast became a pivotal political and intellectual center for British West Africa. A half-century later, Ghana emerged as the first sub-Saharan nation to gain independence from European colonial rule, becoming a focal point for transnational African anticolonial movements that attracted activists and intellectuals globally. As the twentieth century ended, Ghana symbolized the successes of post-Cold-War African liberalization and democratization. Jeffrey Ahlman narrates this intricate political history, spanning from the origins of the "Gold Coast" to the 1992 democratization that initiated the Fourth Republic. He also delves into social history, exploring the complex nature of Ghanaian identity through themes such as marriage, ethnicity, migration, cocoa as a cultural system, and the meanings of chieftaincy. Ahlman synthesizes decades of scholarly work while utilizing a diverse range of archival, oral, journalistic, and governmental sources to present fresh insights. With its thorough coverage of Ghanaian history and the significant debates influencing nineteenth- and twentieth-century African politics and society, this work is essential reading for students and scholars of African Studies.