Sixty Years of Service in Africa: The U.S. Peace Corps in Cameroon

This study provides a more comprehensive and balanced assessment of the U.S. Peace Corps' role in Africa, based on previously unused primary sources from both sides of the Atlantic. It explores Volunteers' service in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Guinea, highlighting the agency's transition from the Cold War era to the Post-Cold War era. It also examines the impact of anti-black racism on U.S. foreign policy and questions the effectiveness of the Peace Corps as a development organization. Despite its problems, the Peace Corps remains a rite of passage for returned Volunteers to make lasting contributions to American life and society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 06 October 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive study, based on previously unseen primary sources from both sides of the Atlantic, offers a more thorough, consistent, and balanced assessment of the United States Peace Corps' role across its entire history in Africa. By shedding light on a fresh and intriguing historical perspective, the study delves into the meaning and significance of the Peace Corps. While Cameroon serves as the primary focus, the study provides a valuable window into understanding the agency's performance throughout Africa and the broader global community. It examines the service of Volunteers in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Guinea, showcasing how the Peace Corps transitioned from a Cold War entity to the Post-Cold War era while raising important questions about its continued relevance in Africa.

In addition to examining the Peace Corps, the book delves into America's Achilles heel, which was the culture of anti-black racism, revealing how it influenced U.S. foreign policy in the post-World War II era. It interrogates modernization theories, showing how these ideas shaped the creation of the Peace Corps but ultimately contributed to its problems. The book also questions the effectiveness of the Peace Corps as a development organization and raises numerous other critical issues.

Despite the agency's challenges, the Peace Corps played a significant role as a rite of passage for returned Volunteers, allowing them to make lasting contributions to American life and society. This book makes valuable contributions to modern African and American studies, as well as to diplomatic history.

Weight: 640g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032584836