The myth of the ‘book famine’ in African publishing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11905583 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elizabeth Le Roux (0000-0002-4766-5822, University of Pretoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 168 |
| Publication date | 2020-08-27 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Review of African Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-6244 • E-ISSN: 1740-1720 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03056244.2020.1792872 |
| OpenAlex | W3082031758 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 33 |
The publishing industry in Africa is usually described in terms of ‘booklessness’, ‘hunger’ or ‘famine’. But does this language of scarcity reflect the realities of book production and consumption? In this paper, the concept of ‘book famine’ is analysed as a central frame of discourse on African books, using a survey of existing documentation. Two ways of responding to book famine – provision and production – are identified, and the shortcomings of book aid (provision) are contrasted with strengthening local publishing industries (production). It is argued that the concept has become a cliché that is no longer relevant and that African publishing, while variable, is responding to local needs
Development economics · Economics · Famine · Mythology · Political economy · Political science · Publishing · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Classics · History · Law · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies · Publishing and Scholarly Communication
Political Analysis
A Theory of Framing and Opinion Formation in Competitive Elite Environments
Poverty and Famines
Audiences and the book in Africa
African Books Collective Its Contribution to African Publishing
From Local to Global
Publishing in Africa from Independence to the Present Day
Framing the Newspaper Crisis
The Whole World Is Watching
University Book Famine Initiative
Framing
Unesco and the Book in the Developing World
Representations of Global Poverty
The book famine
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |