Understanding Soft Power in Africa by Oluwaseun Tella, Hardcover, 9781032949246 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Understanding Soft Power in Africa

The Power of Attraction from Pretoria to Beijing

Author: Oluwaseun Tella   Series: Global Africa

Understanding Soft Power in Africa
Hardcover

Negative images of Africa which define the continent as being riven with poverty, crime, or war, are increasingly being challenged. Understanding Soft Power in Africa will be an important read for researchers in political science, international relations, African studies, and cultural studies, as well as for African policymakers.

Read more
Pre order release date
25th September 2025
Pre Order
$479.04
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Pre order release date
25th September 2025
Check delivery options
Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Negative images of Africa which define the continent as being riven with poverty, crime, or war, are increasingly being challenged. Understanding Soft Power in Africa will be an important read for researchers in political science, international relations, African studies, and cultural studies, as well as for African policymakers.

Read more

Description

Negative images of Africa which define the continent as being riven with poverty, crime, or war, are increasingly being challenged. Examples of soft power such as Nigeria’s Nollywood, athletic successes in Kenya, Rwanda’s commercial diplomacy, and South Africa’s liberal constitution, are all reasserting African agency and shaping more positive understandings of the continent.

This book considers the role and impact of soft power in the African context, and how it relates to the twenty-first century scramble for Africa. Bringing together leading scholars in the field, this book delves into various aspects of soft power in Africa, shedding light on how the continent's attractiveness is shaped by soft power by the continent’s biggest states, the small states, and also the regional organisations such as the AU, ECOWAS, SADC, and EAC. The book then goes on to assess the ways in which great powers, most notably China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and France are themselves deploying soft power in Africa in order to vie for influence, resources, and strategic advantages.

Understanding Soft Power in Africa will be an important read for researchers in political science, international relations, African studies, and cultural studies, as well as for African policymakers.

Read more

Critic Reviews

"For too long, superpowers have dominated the analysis and practice of soft power diplomacy. Building on Oluwaseun Tella’s path-breaking work, Africa’s Soft Power, this volume challenges that dominance by amplifying African voices and perspectives in soft power discourse. Tella and his colleagues not only highlight Africa’s agency in shaping global influence but also demonstrate that attraction and influence — the core objectives of soft power diplomacy — are reciprocal and mutually reinforcing, rather than the exclusive domain of superpowers."

Eghosa E. Osaghae, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, Nigeria.

"This books offers a wide-ranging account of the soft power of Africa, not just of specific nations on the continent, but also the soft power of external nations within Africa as well as the soft power of greater international bodies that impact on Africa. Africa has long been a neglected continent, both among western and eastern states, as well as among scholars. In the present polycrisis facing our world, we need to embrace the greater potential for solutions within the avenue of soft power, and also to expand our attention to the heretofore neglected continent."

Giulio Gallarotti, Professor of Government at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, New York, United States.

"Building seamlessly on Oluwaseun Tella’s earlier groundbreaking study on soft power, this book is a tour de force in examining the theory and practice of attraction in Africa. Its strength lies in its bold exploration of the nuances of soft power, analyzing Africa’s regional powers, small yet influential states, regional organizations, and key global actors. Offering a comprehensive and insightful perspective, it provides a compelling read on soft power in an evolving global diplomatic landscape."

Peter Kagwanja, President and Chief Executive, Africa Policy Institute, Nairobi, and Adjunct Professor of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Read more

About the Author

Oluwaseun Tella is the Head of the Future of Diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge in South Africa. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has authored and edited seven books, including Africa’s Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies, and Cultural Exports (Routledge, 2021), which is the first book on African soft power. In addition, he has published over 40 mostly single-authored book chapters and journal articles in Politikon, Social Dynamics, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Journal of Black Studies, and other academic journals. He has also written approximately 30 op-eds. His research interests encompass soft power, international relations, peace and conflict studies, African politics, and knowledge production in Africa.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd | Routledge
Published
25th September 2025
Pages
320
ISBN
9781032949246

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

Pre Order
$479.04
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Pre order release date
25th September 2025
Check delivery options
Browse by category
YOUR PAYMENT IS SECURE

We use 100% PCI DSS compliant payment services. That means your payment information is always protected, and never gets seen by anyone.
30-DAY FREE RETURN POLICY

Return nearly all items within 30 days of delivery. Unused or faulty items are acceptable as free returns. *Exceptions apply, see our returns policy.

The Nile
Follow Us
Help & Support
Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 The Nile Group.

Zip

 AfterPay

PayPal

Credit Card
Buy Baby at The Nile
 
 
 
Buy Toys at The Nile
Buy Books at The Nile
Buy Movies & TV at The Nile
Our Top Brands