David M. Anderson
Personal Information
Description
David M. Anderson is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. He is the co-author of "The Making of Dale Hawkins" in Shreveport Sounds in Black and White (2008). -Prairie Lights
Books
Histories of the Hanged
An account of Britain's final bloody decade in Kenya, this book tells the story of the brutal war between the colonial government and the insurrectionist Mau Mau between 1952 and 1960. New findings cast the Gikuyu rebels--hardly the terrorists they were thought to be--in a new light and reveal the British to be brutal aggressors in a "dirty war" that involved, among others, Winston Churchill and Harold MacMillan. This book portrays a teetering colonial empire in its final phase--employing whatever military and propaganda methods were necessary to preserve an order that could no longer hold.
The khat controversy
Khat is a natural substance that, in the Middle East, is as ubiquitous as coffee in the West. It is hugely popular in some African and Arab populations. But critics contend that it is a seriously addictive stimulant that damages the cardiovascular system. In a groundbreaking study, the authors go behind the veil of the drug, questioning its availability and its affect on its Red Sea producers. Interwoven with case studies from Djibouti to Rome, The Khat Controversy goes deeper to explore contemporary issues relating to globalization, ethnicity and culture. The first study of this contested drug, Khat provides a concise introduction to the issues surrounding Khat usage and suggests how policymakers should address them.
Revealing prophets
This book examines the richly textured histories of prophets and prophecies within East Africa. It gives an analytical account of the significantly different forms prophecy has taken over the past century across the country. Each of the chapters takes a new look at the active dialogue between prophets and the communities whom they addressed. This dialogue continues today as the politicians and activists throughout the region still look to prophetic traditions, garnering interpretations of the past in order to provide the validation of prophetic wisdom and heroes for the present.
