Risk and Africa

Through a range of varied articles this book explores the changing nature of risk in contemporary African societies. It provides a valuable addition to current debate on the concept of risk which has traditionally been skewed in favour of European historical experience. The articles illustrate that technological hazards, pollution and climate change as well as the introduction of new forms of insurance and the restructuring of civil society are just some of the recent developments that invite us to be sceptical of prevailing notions of risk in the African context. The reader is encouraged to move away from focusing on the vulnerability of Africa as a pre-modern society to consider more localised and contemporary perspectives of risk. In exploring new ways of conceptualising risk in Africa the book addresses the challenge of making theoretical and methodological advances in risk research relevant to understanding the processes of social change on the continent.