Challenging Issues and Accountability in Nigerias Public Administration is an attempt to treat in essay form a wide range of topics which have recently gained the trend of intensive research focus and scholarly attention of the authors. Here is a book which a selective reader can not afford to miss , a book which a reader would continue to read times without number . It is indeed an indispensable acquisition for personal and institutional libraries.
This book gives a panoramic view of the rise and growth of Nollywood, Nigeria’s movie and home video entertainment industry, into the second largest and most prolific movie-producing industry in the world. It offers an analysis of Nollywood’s influence as a local and global cultural force. Scholars from Africa, the African Diaspora and beyond examine the factors that have shaped Nollywood’s unique story-telling, production, and distribution system. The volume shows how internal and external economic, social, cultural and technological changes intersect to define Nollywood’s film-making and entertainment ethos. It is grounded in sound theoretical perspectives that help readers understand the texts and subtexts of the industry’s emergence, transformation, and impact. The range of subjects covered span Nollywood’s historical roots in Nigeria pre-colonial traveling/community theatre to colonial era film-making, and its contemporary spin-offs and inspired cousins across Africa and in Europe. It illuminates the interface of artistic, business, cultural and technological innovation and creativity at the heart of Africa’s local and global pop culture explosion.
Since the 20th century, when modern democracies gained more strength, governments have carried out their internal and foreign affairs policies with society's approval. For that reason, all organizations that want to influence governments try to gain a reputation in the eyes of the public. Similarly, states also attempt to build a reputation and trust in the public opinion of a target country or within particular target communities through public diplomacy activities. It is seen that remarkable public diplomacy studies and works have been carried out for more than half a century, and the field has advanced. However, the public diplomacy literature is mainly USA-dominated due to its pioneering role in the emergence of the concept and its institutionalization. Public diplomacy perceptions and practices in other countries also develop under the influence of this experience. With this effect, each country determines its practice areas and actors for public diplomacy considering its power, sphere of influence, opportunities, and risks. Global Perspectives on the Emerging Trends in Public Diplomacy offers insights into the approaches taken by countries in different geographies and how they tailor their public diplomacy activities based on their unique opportunities and risks. By examining the practices of various countries, this book provides a global picture of public diplomacy activities and identifies emerging trends shaping the field. This book is essential for researchers, academicians, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and non-government and government organizations looking to enhance their understanding of public diplomacy. The diverse range of perspectives offered in this book will enable readers to understand how different countries approach public diplomacy and how these activities are evolving in the current global landscape.
This book offers keen insight and useful lessons underscoring the value of practice to theory. Conceived by two anthropologists who lead consulting practices, McCabe and Briody selected contributors to explore how cultural change happens in a variety of consumer and organizational contexts. The 12 case studies illustrate the explanatory potential and the problem-solving strengths of assemblage theory, and the role of human agency in provoking cultural change. The case studies are compelling due to connections between the case narratives and graphics, and researcher engagement in the pragmatics of implementation—both of which shape and encourage learning. This volume will be markedly useful to practitioners engaged in research and implementation. It will also appeal to students and faculty in a variety of fields including anthropology, business management, marketing, sociology, cultural studies, and industrial design.
The book reflects on the role of the creative economies in a range of African countries (namely Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda). Chapters explore how creative economies emerge and can be supported in African countries. The contributors focus on two key dimensions: the role of higher education and the role of policy. Firstly, they consider the role of higher education and alternative forms of specialised education to reflect on how the creative aspirations of students (and future creative workers) of these countries are met and developed. Secondly, they explore the role of policy in supporting the agendas of the creative economy, taking also into consideration the potential historical dimension of policy interventions and the impact of a lack of policy frameworks. The book concludes by reflecting on how these two pillars of creative economy development, which are usually taken for granted in studying creative economies in the global north, need to be understood with their own specificity in the context of our selected case studies in Africa. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Nigerian beauty pageant industry positions itself as working to symbolically restore the public face of the nation while seeking to materially shift the private lives of affiliates on the ground.
Recent studies on the meaning of cultural diplomacy in the twentieth century often focus on the United States and the Cold War, based on the premise that cultural diplomacy was a key instrument of foreign policy in the nation’s effort to contain the Soviet Union. As a result, the term “cultural diplomacy” has become one-dimensional, linked to political manipulation and subordination and relegated to the margin of diplomatic interactions. This volume explores the significance of cultural diplomacy in regions other than the United States or “western” countries, that is, regions that have been neglected by scholars so far—Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. By examining cultural diplomacy in these regions, the contributors show that the function of information and exchange programs differs considerably from area to area depending on historical circumstances and, even more importantly, on the cultural mindsets of the individuals involved.
This book explores the varied ways in which Nigeria needs to undergird her national security and sustainable strategies with critical thinking perspectives and principles. With insecurity in one way or another present in most, if not all, of Nigeria, this volume brings together military professionals and civilian scholars to present their shared understanding in order to answer an age-old question: Whither Nigeria’s national security and strategy? The book is relevant to political leaders, policy makers and scholars with diverse interests around sustainable strategies within security services. Ultimately, it will foster debate and constructively addresses various issues ranging from social, political, cultural, historical, economic, military and intellectual strategies.
Since time immemorial, indigenous peoples around the world have developed knowledge systems to ensure their continued survival in their respective territories. These knowledge systems have always been dynamic such that they could meet new challenges. Yet, since the so-called enlightenment period, these knowledges have been supplanted by the Western enlightenment science or colonial science hegemony and arrogance such that in many cases they were relegated to the periphery. Some Euro-centric scholars even viewed indigenous knowledge as superstitious, irrational and anti-development. This erroneous view has, since the colonial period, spread like veld fire to the extent of being internalised by some political elites and Euro-centric academics of Africa and elsewhere. However, for some time now, the potential role that indigenous peoples and their knowledge can play in addressing some of the global problems haunting humanity across the world is increasingly emerging as part of international discourse. This book presents an interesting and insightful discourse on the state and role that indigenous knowledge can play in addressing a tapestry of problems of the world and the challenges connected with the application of indigenous knowledge in enlightenment science-dominated contexts. The book is not only useful to academics and students in the fields of indigenous studies and anthropology, but also those in other fields such as environmental science, social and political ecology, development studies, policy studies, economic history, and African studies.
