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'The consumption [of films] on phones, tablets and television screens is likely to mean that the days of the cinema as a physical cultural hub will prove to be a fleeting but fascinating episode in Africa's history, an era which Odile Goerg has done a masterly job in capturing and examining.' -- The Times Literary Supplement 'Goerg's book takes us from the early 20th century to the rise of African nationalism. Her interests range widely ... [which] provides a vivid and memorable impression of Africans in both urban and rural settings in the process of rapid self-transformation.' -- History Today 'A landmark study of moviegoing in both British and French colonies.' -- CHOICE 'West Africa's dream palaces left only scant material traces, but Odile Goerg's research has rescued a half-century of convergence between cinema, colonialism, censorship and commerce from a similar fate. This is the rich account we have so far been missing of the precedents for today's regional culture of the moving image.' -- Richard Fardon, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, SOAS University of London 'A tour de force, ambitiously researched and beautifully written. Goerg provides a multifaceted portrayal of cinematic cultures across the continent, deftly revealing not only how, but also why, movie-going practices and publics varied among villages, towns and cities. A masterpiece in urban history and cultural studies.' -- Laura Fair, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University ' Tropical Dream Palaces fills a gap in the media history of West Africa and complements studies of cinema and leisure in East and Southern Africa. Richly detailed and clearly written, it provides an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike.' -- James Burns, Professor of History and Geography, Clemson University 'A remarkable volume that presents film exhibition micro-histories enriching the study of twentieth-century francophone West Africa. The cinematic experience is revealed as a site of reception, inquiry, and creativity among African writers, intellectuals, and community members with depth and insight.' -- Peter J. Bloom, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, UC-Santa Barbara 'Goerg's remarkable cultural history meticulously reconstructs and critically analyses much that was previously missing: the censored images, the long-forgotten exhibition sites, and the people who ran, regulated and, most importantly, attended these shows.' -- Tom Rice, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of St Andrews 'Innovative and engaging, Goerg's trans-disciplinary analysis vastly enriches readers' understandings not only of cinema, but also of urban and leisure cultures, class divides, censorship practices and modes of agency developed in response to these across colonial West Africa.' -- Dominique Malaquais, Senior Researcher, Institut des Mondes Africains, CNRS

'West Africa's dream palaces left only scant material traces, but Odile Goerg's research has rescued a half-century of convergence between cinema, colonialism, censorship and commerce from a similar fate. This is the rich account we have so far been missing of the precedents for today's regional culture of the moving image.' -- Richard Fardon, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, SOAS University of London

'West Africa's dream palaces left only scant material traces, but Odile Goerg's research has rescued a half-century of convergence between cinema, colonialism, censorship and commerce from a similar fate. This is the rich account we have so far been missing of the precedents for today's regional culture of the moving image.' -- Richard Fardon, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, SOAS University of London 'A tour de force, ambitiously researched and beautifully written. Georg provides a multifaceted portrayal of cinematic cultures across the continent, deftly revealing not only how, but also why, moviegoing practices and publics varied among villages, towns and cities. A masterpiece in urban history and cultural studies.' -- Laura Fair, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University ' Tropical Dream Palaces fills a gap in the media history of West Africa and complements studies of cinema and leisure in East and Southern Africa. Richly detailed and clearly written, it provides an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike.' -- James Burns, Professor of History and Geography, Clemson University 'A remarkable volume that presents film exhibition micro-histories enriching the study of twentieth-century francophone West Africa. The cinematic experience is revealed as a site of reception, inquiry, and creativity among African writers, intellectuals, and community members with depth and insight.' -- Peter J. Bloom, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, UC-Santa Barbara 'Goerg's remarkable cultural history meticulously reconstructs and critically analyses much that was previously missing: the censored images, the long-forgotten exhibition sites, and the people who ran, regulated and, most importantly, attended these shows.' -- Tom Rice, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of St Andrews 'Innovative and engaging, Goerg's trans-disciplinary analysis vastly enriches readers' understandings not only of cinema, but also of urban and leisure cultures, class divides, censorship practices and modes of agency developed in response to these across colonial West Africa.' -- Dominique Malaquais, Senior Researcher, Institut des Mondes Africains, CNRS

'West Africa's dream palaces left only scant material traces, but Odile Goerg's research has rescued a half-century of convergence between cinema, colonialism, censorship and commerce from a similar fate. This is the rich account we have so far been missing of the precedents for today's regional culture of the moving image.' -- Richard Fardon, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, SOAS University of London 'A tour de force, ambitiously researched and beautifully written. Georg provides a multifaceted portrayal of cinematic cultures across the continent, deftly revealing not only how, but also why, moviegoing practices and publics varied among villages, towns and cities. A masterpiece in urban history and cultural studies.' -- Laura Fair, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University ' Tropical Dream Palaces fills a gap in the media history of West Africa and complements studies of cinema and leisure in East and Southern Africa. Richly detailed and clearly written, it provides an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike.' -- James Burns, Professor of History and Geography, Clemson University

Author Information

Odile Goerg is Full Professor of Modern African History at CESSMA, Universite Paris Diderot. She specialises in socio-economic history in the urban setting. Her present research focuses on leisure and culture, especially cinema, a topic on which she has published numerous articles.

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