Thought Provokers

Arab Development Denied

I have covered many critical assessments of development on this blog. However, comparatively few have covered the Middle East and North Africa region. Was pleased to come across “Arab Development Denied: Dynamics of Accumulation by Wars of Encroachment” by Ali Kadri (2015). The region has had diverse historical and contemporary experiences and I found several […]

Tags: #Ali Kadri #Arab Development Denied #Arab World #Middle East #North Africa

Thought Provokers May 17

Samora Machel

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Mozambique’s Samora Machel: A Life Cut Short” (2020), by Allen Isaacman and Barbara Isaacman. Like the books on Nkrumah and Cabral, this one […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Isaacman #Mozambique #Samora Machel #solidarity

Thought Provokers May 12

Amilcar Cabral

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Amilcar Cabral: Nationalist and Pan-Africanist Revolutionary” (2019), by Peter Karibe Mendy. This book in relatively longer in this series, like the Nkrumah book, […]

Tags: #Amilcar Cabral #Colonial Logic #Racism #solidarity #White Supremacy

Thought Provokers May 8

Kwame Nkrumah

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Kwame Nkrumah: Visions of Liberation” (2021), by Jeffrey S. Ahlman. The book is contextualized beyond biographical detail, with details of the events occurring […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Ghana #Kwame Nkrumah #Liberation #Self-determination

Thought Provokers Apr 28

Julius Nyerere

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Julius Nyerere” (2017), by Paul Bjerk. A few notes: “Upon returning he was told he no longer had a job at St. Francis […]

Tags: #History #Julius Nyerere #Paul Bjerk #Tanzania #Ujamaa

Thought Provokers Apr 23

The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf

In reading books on Qatar (see this section for the list), many of the criticisms I have made of contemporary scholarship is a continuation of colonial attitudes and perspectives. On that note, I was glad to come across the gem of a book, “The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf” (1986), by Sultan Muhammad […]

Tags: #Al-Qasimi #Colonialism #Gulf #History #Myth of Arab Piracy

Thought Provokers Apr 12

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf” (2016), by Pamela Scully. One of the rants that often appear in my classes and in assignment feedback comments relate […]

Tags: #Ellen Johnson Sirleaf #Liberia #Ohio University Press #Short Histories of Africa

Thought Provokers Apr 4

Poverty Alleviation (Fiqh of Zakah)

In humanitarian and development activity, in the last two decades more organizations are distributing direct financial transfers. The expansion of mobile banking and cell phone coverage have enabled this to expand in reach and scale. There is a large literature on this subject, looking at efficiency, agency and impact (and relatively less discussion about universal […]

Tags: #Fiqh of Zakah #Lifetime needs #Poverty alleviation #Qaradawi #Zakat

Thought Provokers Mar 31

Emperor Haile Selassie

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Emperor Haile Selassie” (2014) by Bereket Habte Selassie. Books usually take more than a year to write, get reviewed, go into publication, and […]

Tags: #Biography #Emperor Haile Selassie #Ethiopia #History #Ohio University Press

Thought Provokers Mar 30

Patrice Lumumba

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Patrice Lumumba” (2014) by Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja. This is a great summary, but might have since been overshadowed by a book published the year […]

Tags: #Freedom #Liberty #Patrice Lumumba #Struggle #United Nations

Thought Provokers Mar 24

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About me

Logan Cochrane

Logan is a Professor at HBKU in the College of Public Policy. He is an Associate Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and an Adjunct Professor at Hawassa University (Institute for Policy and Development Research). Over the last twenty years, he has worked in Afghanistan, Benin, Burundi, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Logan acts as a consultant for governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, seeking to create bridges between research and practice.

Logan Cochrane