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OverviewAfrica supplies the majority of the world's diamonds, yet consumers generally know little about the origins and history of these precious stones beyond sensationalized media accounts of so-called blood diamonds. Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa's diamonds, from the earliest stirrings of international interest in the continent's mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent. The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africans-from informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich states-and their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and complexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Todd ClevelandPublisher: Ohio University Press Imprint: Ohio University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 45.80cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.336kg ISBN: 9780821421000ISBN 10: 082142100 Pages: 240 Publication Date: 24 June 2014 Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Professional & Vocational , Tertiary & Higher Education Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsReviewsStones of Contention is the best introduction to the history of diamond-mining in Africa-short and easy-to-read. - Stephen Ellis, Desmond Tutu Professor of Youth, Sport, and Reconciliation, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije University, Amsterdam, and author of Season of Rains: Africa in the World In Stones of Contention, Cleveland (Augustana College) skillfully mines previous scholarship to provide readers with a short synthesis of the political, economic, and social history of Africa's important diamond industry... Summing up: recommended. -CHOICE Teachers of African and world history will welcome the lucid style and topical introduction to historical issues... Unlike the now dime-a-dozen summaries of African history, this book marshals a great deal of evidence, contains much substance, and provides some interesting perspectives. The temptation might be to consume the book at a single sitting. This would be a pity, for the tastiest morsels, in particular primary sources that relate labor experiences on colonial mines, should be savored. -American Historical Review Todd Cleveland has written a novel approach to African history. Rather than present yet another account whose organizing focus is by country, region, or colonizer(s), he has presented an interesting, thoughtful, and well-written undergraduate textbook whose integrating theme is a key resource-diamonds... Resource exploitation is a vital aspect of Africa's past and present, and Cleveland's study of the history of diamonds provides a neat introduction to the continent's narrative. -Canadian Journal of African Studies A useful, lucid account of this sometimes dark and disturbing trade. -Matthew Hart, author of Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair Todd Cleveland expertly mines the social, political and economic history of Africa's diamond industry, explaining the phenomenon of 'blood diamonds,' the regulatory efforts of the past decade and a growing sense of optimism that these 'stones of contention' may, at long last, contribute to meaningful development. - Ian Smillie, author of Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade and Diamonds Cleveland begins by asking a question that was posed to him: 'Would you ever purchase an African diamond knowing what you know now?' In this introduction to the industry, he strives to give readers sufficient facts to answer that question themselves by making sense of a global commodity shrouded in secrecy and the illusions of marketing... Cleveland's work is necessarily accessible and important, as diamonds will continue to play a prominent role in world events. -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Cleveland renders a sweeping look at colonialists, industry titans, despots, and everyday miners in this look at the local and global context of what have come to be known as blood diamonds. -Booklist Stones of Contention is the best introduction to the history of diamond-mining in Africa?--?short and easy-to-read. -- Stephen Ellis, Desmond Tutu Professor of Youth, Sport, and Reconciliation, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije University, Amsterdam, and author of Season of Rains: Africa in the World Stones of Contention is the best introduction to the history of diamond-mining in Africa?--?short and easy-to-read. -- Stephen Ellis, Desmond Tutu Professor of Youth, Sport and Reconciliation, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, and author of Season of Rains: Africa in the World Cleveland renders a sweeping look at colonialists, industry titans, despots, and everyday miners in this look at the local and global context of what have come to be known as blood diamonds. -- Booklist Todd Cleveland expertly mines the social, political and economic history of Africa's diamond industry, explaining the phenomenon of 'blood diamonds, ' the regulatory efforts of the past decade and a growing sense of optimism that these 'stones of contention' may, at long last, contribute to meaningful development. -- Ian Smillie, author of Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade and Diamonds Author InformationTodd Cleveland is a distinguished professor of history at the University of Arkansas. His books include these Ohio University Press titles: Sports in Africa, Past and Present (2020), Following the Ball: The Migration of African Soccer Players across the Portuguese Colonial Empire, 1949–1975 (2017), Diamonds in the Rough: Corporate Paternalism and African Professionalism on the Mines of Colonial Angola, 1917–1975 (2015), and Stones of Contention: A History of Africa’s Diamonds (2014). Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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