Africa at LSE blog 5th anniversary reading list: 10 must-read books on African politics, society and economics

6 June 2016 is the five year anniversary of the launch of the Africa at LSE blog. To celebrate the occasion, LSE Review of Books recommends ten illuminating reads on African politics, society and economics. You may also like to check out ten recommended Africa at LSE blog posts to revisit , covering diverse topics such as Africa’s urban transition, the question of penalty shoot-outs in football and Mahatma Gandhi’s political awakening in South Africa

Children\u27s Books as Cultural Products: A Qualitative Study of Cultural Representation in Hmong and Non-Hmong American Books

This study examined the type of cultural practices and values depicted within Hmong American children’s books in comparison to non-Hmong American children’s books from the United States. The purpose was to explore if prior Hmong traditional practices and values reflective of American individualism would extend to Hmong children’s books. Thirty best-seller children’s books were coded using two checklists, one focused on Hmong traditional practices and the other on American values. Results showed that Hmong traditional practices underscored by Hmong adolescents in prior research somewhat extended to Hmong children’s books. Moreover, in some respects Hmong children’s books displayed similar numbers of American values as did American children’s books. This study expanded the ethnic-racial socialization literature to an understudied population, the Hmong. In addition, the study provides parents and public educators insights into the cultural practices and values presented within Hmong children’s books

Access to Children\u27s Books Featuring Characters with Disabilities

Shared reading and access to print have been linked to improved outcomes for young children and linked to socio-economic status (e.g Neuman, 1999; Zucker, Cabell, Justice, Pentimonti & Kaderavek, 2013). As a community, we know very little about the access to books that the diverse population of preschool age children from Northwest Arkansas have. Moreover, we know very little about the type of books available to them. This study seeks to understand how many children’s books are in select preschools of varying socioeconomic status within Northwest Arkansas that service those with and without disabilities. More pointedly, within the children’s book representation, how many books portray characters with disabilities? Select preschools of varying socioeconomic status were selected in Northwest Arkansas, and the number of books in the classroom were documented. Next, each book was categorized as a “Disability Book” or a “General Book”, depending on its characters and content. Results indicate that there is a much higher percentage of General Books than Disability Books overall in select preschool classrooms, and that general education, high socioeconomic centers contain more books on average. Finally, results indicate that centers serving children with exceptionalities have a slightly higher percentage of books including characters with disabilities than general centers. These results suggest a need for increased children\u27s books in early childhood settings that reflect all individuals that are being taught, including those with disabilities. Children’s books are important in teaching non-tangible values such as empathy, kindness and compassion through which all children, both typically developing and disabled can benefit from