Nasong’o Co-edits New Book on Kenya

Rhodes College professor Shadrack Nasong’o standing in front of a campus building

Dr. Shadrack W. Nasong’o, professor of international studies, is co-editor of the new book The Palgrave Handbook of Kenyan History (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) with Maurice N. Amutabi of Technical University of Kenya and Toyin Falola of the University of Texas at Austin.

According to the book’s site: This volume covers Kenya’s history, society, culture, economics, politics, and environment from precolonial times through the first years of independence. Part I focuses on the long precolonial moment, detailing the nature of precolonial Kenyan societies and their economics, politics, gender dynamics, and social organization. Part II examines Kenyan societies’ encounters with British colonialism, critically outlining the impact and implications of these encounters. The volume concludes with an examination of political consolidation after the country’s attainment of political independence and the subsequent foundations for political authoritarianism.

Born and raised in Western Kenya, Nasong’o is a prominent critical voice on African politics and has been widely recognized for his prolific research and scholarship on Africa.