India and Africa - Old Friends, New Game (African Arguments)

Africa has long been linked with India - from ancient trading networks across the Indian Ocean, the historic presence of South Asian communities in eastern Africa, to the 'third worldist' solidarity of Jawaharlal Nehru. Beyond the laudatory tales of Gandhi's South African days, however, it is obvious that Africa is now on India's agenda under radically altered geopolitical and economic circumstances, with billions of dollars invested in the continent and a new influx of migrants supplementing historic 'diasporas'. Despite these developments, China has occupied the limelight in discussions of Africa's burgeoning relations with the non-Western world. Gerard McCann redresses this balance with a critical analysis of India's rapidly changing commercial, political and cultural engagements with African countries, as well as its own diaspora. Going beyond bland assertions of continued 'South-South' solidarity to present a more nuanced picture, 'India and Africa - Old Friends, New Game' is an essential introduction to anyone interested in this complex and increasingly important relationship.