Book Review: Sierra Leone: a political history by David Harris

Sierra Leone came to world attention in the 1990s when a catastrophic civil war linked to the diamond trade was reported globally. This fleeting interest, however, obscured much of the longer history of the region, and made Sierra Leone a laboratory for post-Cold War interventions. Sierra Leone: A Political History by David Harris examines 225 years of the country’s history and fifty years of independence, placing state-society relations at the centre of this investigation of those who have tried to rule or change Sierra Leone. Lenneke Sprik finds that this read is useful for scholars and students with a specific interest in Sierra Leone, conflict analysis and African history.