Emery Kalema, Assistant Professor of History at The Africa Institute, is co-editor of a major new volume titled Textures of Power: Central Africa in the Long Twentieth Century, published by Leuven University Press. The book is co-edited with Florence Bernault (Sciences Po, Paris) and Benoît Henriet (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and brings together interdisciplinary research on the exercise and perception of power in Central Africa, spanning from the Atlantic slave trade to the present.
The 574-page volume features contributions from historians, anthropologists, and political scientists. It addresses a wide range of themes including colonial governance, social rebellion, digital technology, environmental pollution, bio-medicine, urban life, radio, music, witchcraft, and everyday social practices. Drawing on both established and emerging research, the book emphasizes locally grounded perspectives and long-term historical trajectories.
According to the editors, the concept of “texture” serves as a central analytical lens through which to explore layered, entangled, and often contested ways in which power is experienced, represented, and negotiated in Central African societies. The volume also underscores the importance of non-human forces, affect, and memory in shaping political and social life.
“By foregrounding the concept of texture, this volume invites renewed attention to the everyday and often overlooked ways in which power operates in Central African contexts,” said co-editor Emery Kalema.
Kalema’s scholarly work focuses on the history of violence, memory, trauma, and embodiment in Central Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of the Witwatersrand and has held fellowships at institutions including the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Stellenbosch University, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is currently completing a monograph on the Mulele Rebellion in postcolonial Congo.
Textures of Power is available in open-access format via the OAPEN Library and can also be ordered in print.
The book will also be available for purchase at the Meroë, The Africa Institute’s Bookshop, and the university’s library. For inquiries, contact: info@theafricainstitute.org
RESOURCES:
Emery Kalema, Assistant Professor of History at The Africa Institute, is co-editor of a major new volume titled Textures of Power: Central Africa in the Long Twentieth Century, published by Leuven University Press. The book is co-edited with Florence Bernault (Sciences Po, Paris) and Benoît Henriet (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and brings together interdisciplinary research on the exercise and perception of power in Central Africa, spanning from the Atlantic slave trade to the present.
Emery Kalema, Assistant Professor of History at The Africa Institute, is co-editor of a major new volume titled Textures of Power: Central Africa in the Long Twentieth Century, published by Leuven University Press. The book is co-edited with Florence Bernault (Sciences Po, Paris) and Benoît Henriet (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and brings together interdisciplinary research on the exercise and perception of power in Central Africa, spanning from the Atlantic slave trade to the present.
The 574-page volume features contributions from historians, anthropologists, and political scientists. It addresses a wide range of themes including colonial governance, social rebellion, digital technology, environmental pollution, bio-medicine, urban life, radio, music, witchcraft, and everyday social practices. Drawing on both established and emerging research, the book emphasizes locally grounded perspectives and long-term historical trajectories.
According to the editors, the concept of “texture” serves as a central analytical lens through which to explore layered, entangled, and often contested ways in which power is experienced, represented, and negotiated in Central African societies. The volume also underscores the importance of non-human forces, affect, and memory in shaping political and social life.
“By foregrounding the concept of texture, this volume invites renewed attention to the everyday and often overlooked ways in which power operates in Central African contexts,” said co-editor Emery Kalema.
Kalema’s scholarly work focuses on the history of violence, memory, trauma, and embodiment in Central Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of the Witwatersrand and has held fellowships at institutions including the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Stellenbosch University, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is currently completing a monograph on the Mulele Rebellion in postcolonial Congo.
Textures of Power is available in open-access format via the OAPEN Library and can also be ordered in print.
The book will also be available for purchase at the Meroë, The Africa Institute’s Bookshop, and the university’s library. For inquiries, contact: info@theafricainstitute.org
RESOURCES:
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