The EU and Africa: From Eurafrique to AfroEuropa (Columbia/Hurst)

Review This is a most welcome and vibrant guide to the European Unions most enduring and guiltinducing set of external relationships. It is required reading for all those interested in what Europe means to Africa, and vice versa. (Christopher Hill, University of Cambridge)A timely, analytical, and exhaustive interpretation of the complex and dynamic cooperation between Africa and the European Union a must read for all who wish to expand their insights into the contemporary challenges of AfricaEU relations. (Mohamed Ibn Chambas, secretarygeneral of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States)This is a much needed, impressive, and thoughtprovoking work on the development and diversity of EUAfrica relations. It raises the complex yet critical key question: how can an EUAfrica partnership claim the future in a radically changing global environment? An essential collection. (Ambassador Torben Brylle, former EU Special Representative for Sudan)This publication is very welcome and covers key issues at the heart of the relationship between Africa and the European Union. It is therefore a very useful tool for people working within the area of EUAfrica relations. The book also provides an uptodate analysis of all the facets of this relationship. A mustread for all seeking knowledge in this field. (Peter H. Katjavivi, former Namibian ambassador to the EU) Product Description The essays in this volume confront the historical, political, socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions of the European Unions relationship with Africa. Following the high imperial period of the nineteenth century, many in Europe encouraged the development of a partnership called Eurafrique, which would have granted European industries privileged access to African resources. This book begins with Europes attempts to refashion its relations with Africa, particularly after several countries achieved independence in the 1960s. At the same time, it details the historical processes behind Europes own quest for unity and follows with an exploration of the strategic aspects of Europe and Africas relationship today. Contributors particularly focus on the place of Africa within the EUs pursuit of global partnerships. Key topics include trade and investment, security and governance, migration and identity, and the potential legacy of contemporary relations. The volume closely analyzes key European players, such as France, Britain, Portugal, and Scandinavia, within the context of the EU. It also examines Europes controversial immigration policies and complex interactions with the Maghreb and the Mediterranean, as well as perceptions of past and present European identity. The study concludes with a probing look at whether Africa and Europe have escaped the burden of their shared history and whether a future AfroEuropa relationship, defined by genuine equality, partnership, and mutual selfinterest, can be achieved. About the Author Adekeye Adebajo is executive director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Cape Town, South Africa. A former Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, he is the author of The Curse of Berlin: Africa After the Cold War and UN Peacekeeping in Africa, among other books.Kaye Whiteman is a journalist and writer focusing on African affairs. He is a Londonbased editorial adviser to Business Day (Nigeria) and writes for The Guardian, The Annual Register, Afrique Asie, and Geopolitique Africaine. He is a former editor in chief and managing editor of the Londonbased weekly magazine, West Africa.