Nachituti's Gift: Economy, Society, and Environment in Central Africa (Africa and the Diaspora)

"Nachituti's Gift" challenges conventional theories of economic development, with a compelling comparative case study of inland fisheries in Zambia and Congo from pre- to post-colonial times. Neoclassical development models conjure a simple, abstract progression from wealth held in people to money or commodities; instead, Gordon argues, primary social networks and oral charters like "Nachituti's Gift" remained decisive long after the rise of intensive trade and market activities. Interweaving oral traditions, songs, and interviews, as well as extensive archival research, Gordon's lively tale is at once a subtle analysis of economic and social transformations, an insightful exercise in environmental history, and a revealing study of comparative politics.