{"product_id":"the-power-of-babel-ali-a-mazrui-9780226514291","title":"The Power of Babel: Language and Governance in the African Experience","description":"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 local and regional dialects, making language itself the center of debates over multiculturalism, gender studies, and social theory. In \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Babel\u003c\/i\u003e, the noted Africanist scholar Ali Mazrui and linguist Alamin Mazrui explore this vast territory of African language. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Power of Babel\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the first comprehensive studies of the complex linguistic constellations of Africa. It 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe 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 issues 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.\u003ci\u003eThe Power of Babel\u003c\/i\u003e unites empirical information with theories of nationalism and pluralism--among others--to offer the richest contextual account of African languages to date.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ali A. Mazrui, Alamin M. Mazrui\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226514293\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226514291\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/03\/1998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 235\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.63h x 6.06w x 0.75d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eUniv PR Books for Public Libry\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/1999 pg. 31 - Recommended\/Special Interest","brand":"Ali A. Mazrui","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43946344644863,"sku":"9780226514291","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_1a2d53aa-763b-4119-bedf-cb631bf88842.jpg?v=1681512614","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-power-of-babel-ali-a-mazrui-9780226514291","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}