Edward Simpson Livres

Namibia's stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage are highlighted in this travel guide. The book captures the contrast between modern life and ancient traditions, showcasing the country's diverse tribal culture amidst breathtaking natural wonders like the Namib Desert, Etosha, and Fish River Canyon. Unique phenomena such as Dragon's Breath underground lake and the Hoba Meteorite are featured, alongside the vibrant wildlife that thrives in the Namib Desert. With a focus on environmental preservation and a stable tourism infrastructure, Namibia offers an enchanting experience for visitors.

The book explores Namibia's multifaceted landscape, focusing on its economy, governance, and cultural diversity. It highlights the significant economic growth post-1945, particularly in the late 1970s, driven by base metal production, cattle, karakul, and diamond exports. The narrative emphasizes the disparities in wealth between Europeans and black Namibians during this period, alongside the impact of global demand on local industries, particularly diamonds. The work also reflects on Namibia's ethnic tolerance and environmental context.

The book explores the vibrant cultural tapestry of Sierra Leone, highlighting the diverse traditions, expressive arts, and rich social customs of its people. Readers will discover the significance of food, flamboyant attire, and handmade crafts, alongside the lively festivals and performing arts that showcase the nation's heritage. It delves into the secretive 'societies' that play a crucial role in community life, as well as the deep-rooted religious practices and historic sites that reflect Sierra Leone's past. A journey through this dynamic culture promises unexpected delights and experiences.

The book explores the complex cultural and historical landscape of South Africa during the apartheid era, highlighting the stark contrasts between affluent white neighborhoods and impoverished black communities. It examines the blending and clashing of Western and indigenous traditions, emphasizing the ongoing disparities in education and economic opportunities. Despite these challenges, the narrative reveals a nation making progress in addressing historic inequalities, with a flourishing cultural scene in the post-apartheid era shaped by social class, ethnicity, and geography.

This book argues that road-building was naturalized in the twentieth century to the point of common sense, integrating roadbuilding into a system of climate change denial hidden within a broad international development imperative. But if we can 'read' South Asian roads as forms of governance and knowledge, we can challenge the region's established geopolitical narratives, and the idea of a never-ending future. Highways to the End of the World explores the political economy of these ideas by focusing on the history of this phenomenon, and on the road-builders of South Asia themselves. How do these flamboyant and controversial 'roadmen' think about their work and the future of the planet? What do roads do, and why? And how did they become central to the region's nationalist and developmental projects in the first place? Simpson's fascinating ethnographic account takes us from fume-filled toll booths in the heart of India, via overworked government offices in Pakistan, to pharaonic bridges in the Indian Ocean. Simpson follows the money, explores the politics of evidence, and argues against the utopian hyperbole of present-day 'road talk', finding both humanitarian crises and freewheeling international capital in the hedgerows. Roads have never been so interesting, or so controversial.