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An introduction to African politics / Alex Thomson.
Author
Thomson, Alex, 1966-
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Εdition
Fifth edition.
Published/Created
London : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.
Description
xv, 337 pages : illustrations (some colour), maps (chiefly colour), portraits ; 26 cm
Details
Subject(s)
Africa
—
Politics and government
[Browse]
Summary note
"This fully updated fifth edition of An Introduction to African Politics is an ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent. Charting trends in government over six decades of the post-colonial era, the book tackles key questions such as: How have African states made sense of their colonial inheritance? How relevant are ethnic and religious identities? Why have some states collapsed and others prospered? Why did the one-party state fail? Why is contemporary Africa now dominated by electoral authoritarian states, and not the multi-party democracies promised in the 1990s? Key features include: thematically organised, with chapters exploring issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, religion, social class, ideology, legitimacy, authority, sovereignty, and democracy; new four-part structure makes clearer Africa's political evolution over time; new chapter on the emergence of 'hybrid states' and 'electoral authoritarianism'; more coverage of 21st century governance trends such as China's impact, the changing role of the military, different uses of 'client patron' networks, Western conditionality, and the 'Africa rising' debate; colour presentation of maps, photos and data; boxed case studies including Mali, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, Somalia, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia and Angola; each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions, questions and further reading. An Introduction to African Politics is essential reading for students seeking an accessible introduction to the complex social relationships and events that characterize the politics of post-colonial Africa"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Introductions and the historical inheritance
Introduction : State, civil society and external interests
History : Africa's pre-colonial and colonial inheritance
Case study : Mali's historical inheritance
The Dominant African State, 1960s-1970s
Ideology : nationalism, socialism, populism and state capitalism
Case study : African socialism and ujamaa in Tanzania
Ethnicity and religion : 'tribes', gods and political identity
Case study : ethnicity, religion and the nation-state in Nigeria
Social class : the search for class politics in Africa
Case study : social class in Botswana
Legitimacy : neo-patrimonialism, personal rule and the centralisation of the African state
Case study : personal rule in Côte d'Ivoire
Coercion : military intervention in African politics
Case study : Uganda's 1971 military coup
Sovereignty I : external influences on African politics
Case study : Somalia's international relations-- The Weakened Africa State, 1980s-1990s
Sovereignty II : neo-colonialism, structural adjustment and Africa's political economy
Case study : Ghana's structural adjustment
Authority : the crises of accumulation, governance and state collapse
Case study : Zaire
Mobutu's vampire state
The Re-fashioned African State, 1990s-present
Democracy : multi-party elections re-legitimising the African state?
Case study : Algeria's unconsolidated democracy
Hybrid regimes : 'Africa rising', stalled transitions, or something in-between?
Case study : Angola's electoral authoritarianism
Conclusions
The changing relationship between state, civil society and external interests in post-colonial Africa.
Show 26 more Contents items
ISBN
9780367468989 ((hardback))
0367468980
9780367468927 ((paperback))
0367468921
LCCN
2022034086
OCLC
1336592228
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