{"title":"Gérard Prunier","description":"\u003cp\u003eGérard Prunier's works offer penetrating insights into historical and military conflicts with a particular focus on colonial legacies and their enduring impact. His analysis delves into the complexities of power, identity, and resistance, presenting nuanced perspectives on tumultuous periods shaped by imperial ambitions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect meticulously researched narratives that combine scholarly rigour with accessible prose, illuminating the intricate dynamics of colonialism and its aftermath. Prunier's writing challenges conventional histories, inviting reflection on the forces that have shaped contemporary global affairs.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"colonialism-devours-itself-by-gerard-prunier-9781911723653","title":"Colonialism Devours Itself","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA historically grounded account, from de Gaulle onwards, of how France's neocolonial influence crumbled in Africa, with devastating and unforeseen consequences.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrance is the only country that never decolonised its colonies, emotionally, financially or strategically. In the aftermath of losing the Second World War, notwithstanding de Gaulle's attempts to convince his people otherwise, the French knew the game was up. (The Resistance fighters were heroes; but heroes are lonely.) For France, after 1945, the Second World War blended into the early Cold War, which Paris jumped into the day before it began. It fought in Indochina, and lost again. The independence war dragged on in Algeria. Then France lost there, too—painfully, with millions of its ordinary citizens expelled to a homeland that many of them hardly knew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut Sub-Saharan Africa was still there. France produced a postcolonial antidote: 'Francafrique', France's sphere of influence (or 'backyard') over its former West and Central African colonies. France loved Africa. Some Frenchmen died for 'Francafrique'; others made millions from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe entire toxic edifice is now crumbling away. Young Africans are happy about this—but not so many of their parents, who often live in France. In his inimitable style, Gérard Prunier recounts a tragic transcultural saga, with one leg in the past and one in the future: the end of \u003cem\u003eColonialism Devours Itself\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47486004232428,"sku":"9781911723653","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/81711401601d94bba752ad6c877575f2.jpg?v=1775784439"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/gerard-prunier.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}