Brenda Chalfin Boeken

The ethnographic study explores the journey of shea butter from a traditional product used by rural West African women to a luxury commodity in global markets. It highlights its diverse applications, including cooking, soap-making, and as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate. The book examines the implications of shea butter's commoditization on consumption patterns, global economic changes, and rural livelihoods. Additionally, it features seven maps to enhance understanding of this transformation and its impact on local communities.

Examines the day-to-day practices of the officials of Ghana's Customs Service, exploring the impact of neoliberal restructuring and integration into the global economy on Ghanaian sovereignty. This title discovers an inversion of our assumptions about neoliberal transformation.

Brenda Chalfin examines Ghana's planned city of Tema, theorizing about the formative role of waste infrastructure in urban politics and public life.