Scholars and students of African politics address some of the thorniest issues of our time. Indeed, over the last thirty years or so, the subdiscipline has expanded in scope and ambition, and leads the way in major fields of research, such as the study of ethnicity and identity politics.
Now, this timely new collection from Routledge, edited by Nic Cheeseman (the former Director of the African Studies Centre at Oxford University), brings together the classic and essential texts of African politics, creating a top-quality and easily accessible resource for students, researchers, and policymakers alike. The four volumes that make up the collection are structured around the biggest questions that have dominated African Studies:
- What was the legacy of colonial rule, and has Africa broken free of its international dependency?
- How are ethnic identities formed, and what impact have they had?
- Why is Africa so poor? What are the main barriers to development?
- Is democracy feasible in Africa, and, if so, how can it be designed to promote political stability?
Each volume is introduced by a comprehensive summary chapter, newly written by the editor, which both provides a valuable overview of the key trends in the literature and explains what we know, what we don’t know, and what controversies remain.
Volume 1: Africa and the World: Sovereignty, Dependency and Extraversion
Part 1. Colonial Rule and Its Legacy
1. Nathan Nunn and Leonard Wantchekon, ‘The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa’, American Economic Review, 2011, 101, 7, 3221-52.
2. Mahmood Mamdani, ‘Beyond Settler and Native as Political Identities: Overcoming the Political Legacy of Colonialism’, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 2001, 43, 4, 651-664.
3. Matthew K. Lange, ‘British Colonial Legacies and Political Development’, World Development, 2004, 32, 6, 905-922.
Part 2. Sovereignty, Dependency and Extraversion
4. Randall W. Stone, ‘The Political Economy of IMF Lending in Africa’, American Political Science Review, 2004, 98, 4, 577-591.
5. Jean-François Bayart, ‘Africa in the World: A History of Extraversion’, African Affairs, 2000, 99, 395, 217-267.
6. Caryn Peiffer and Pierre Englebert, ‘Extraversion, Vulnerability to Donors, and Political Liberalization in Africa’, African Affairs, 2012, 111, 444, 355-378.
Part 3. Aid and the Governance Agenda
7. Deborah A. Bräutigam and Stephen Knack, ‘Foreign Aid, Institutions, and Governance in Sub‐Saharan Africa’, Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2004, 52, 2, 255-285.
8. Rita Abrahamsen, ‘The Power of Partnerships in Global Governance’, Third World Quarterly, 2004, 25, 8, 1453-1467.
9. Thad Dunning, ‘Conditioning the Effects of Aid: Cold War Politics, Donor Credibility, and Democracy in Africa’, 2004, International Organization, 58, 2 409-423.
Part 4. The African Diaspora and the Rise of Remittances
10. Giles Mohan and Alfred B. Zack‐Williams, ‘Globalisation from Below: Conceptualising the Role of the African Diasporas in Africa's Development’, Review of African Political Economy, 2002, 29, 92, 211-236.
11. Ebenezer Obadare and Wale Adebanwi, ‘Transnational Resource Flow and the Paradoxes of Belonging: Redirecting the Debate on Transnationalism, Remittances, State and Citizenship in Africa’, Review of African Political Economy, 2009, 36,122, 499-517.
12. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, ‘African Diasporas: Toward a Global History’, African Studies Review, 2010, 53, 1, 1-19.
Part 5. Pan Africanism, the African Union and Regional Integration
13. Thomas Kwasi Tieku, ‘Explaining the Clash and Accommodation of Interests of Major Actors in the Creation of the African Union’, African Affairs, 2004, 103, 411, 249-267.
14. Ian Taylor, ‘Globalization and Regionalization in Africa: Reactions to Attempts at Neo-liberal Regionalism’, Review of International Political Economy, 2003, 10, 2, 310-330.
Part 6. The Rise of China and a ‘Multi-polar’ World
15. Padraig R. Carmody and Francis Y. Owusu, ‘Competing Hegemons? Chinese versus American Geo-economic Strategies in Africa’, Political Geography, 2007, 26, 5504-524.
16. Julia C. Strauss, ‘The Past in the Present: Historical and Rhetorical Lineages in China's Relations with Africa’, The China Quarterly, 2009, 199 777-795.
Volume 2: The African State: The Struggle to Control People and Space
Part 1. The Post-Colonial State and its Limitations
17. Crawford Young, ‘The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics’, African Affairs, 2004, 103, 410, 23-49.
18. Stephen N. Ndegwa, ‘Citizenship and Ethnicity: An Examination of Two Transition Moments in Kenyan Politics’, American Political Science Review, 1997, 91, 3, 599-616.
19. Robert H. Bates, ‘The Logic of State Failure: Learning from Late-Century Africa’, Conflict Management and Peace Science, 2008, 25, 4 297-314.
20. Jeffrey Herbst, ‘Responding to State Failure in Africa’, International Security, 1996, 21, 3 120-144.
Part 2. Traditional Leaders, "Hybrid Institutions" and Ungoverned Spaces
21. Lungisile Ntsebeza, ‘Democratic Decentralisation and Traditional Authority: Dilemmas of Land Administration in Rural South Africa’, European Journal of Development Research, 2004, 16, 1, 71-89.
22. Carolyn Logan, ‘The Roots of Resilience: Exploring Popular Support for African Traditional Authorities’, African Affairs, 2013, 112, 448, 353-376.
23. Christian Lund, ‘Twilight Institutions: Public Authority and Local Politics in Africa’, Development and Change, 2006, 37, 4, 685-705.
24. David Pratten, ‘The Politics of Protection: Perspectives on Vigilantism in Nigeria’, Africa, 2008, 78, 1, 1-15.
Part 3. Neo-Patrimonialism, Clandestine Economies, and Corruption
25. Gero Erdmann and Ulf Engel, ‘Neopatrimonialism Reconsidered: Critical Review and Elaboration of an Elusive Concept’, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 2007, 45, 1, 95-119.
26. J. P. De Sardan, ‘A Moral Economy of Corruption in Africa?’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 1999, 37, 1, 25-52.
27. William Reno, ‘Clandestine Economies, Violence and States in Africa’, Journal of International Affairs, 2000, 53, 2, 433-459.
Part 4. Developmental Patrimonialism and Developmental States
28. Thandika Mkandawire, ‘Thinking about Developmental States in Africa’, Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2001, 25, 3, 289-314.
29. Tim Kelsall, ‘Neo-Patrimonialism, Rent-Seeking and Development: Going with the Grain?’, New Political Economy, 2012, 17, 5, 677-682.
30. David Booth and Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, ‘Developmental Patrimonialism? The Case of Rwanda’, African Affairs, 2012, 111, 444, 379-403.
Part 5. Taxation and the Social Contract
31. Odd-Helge Fjeldstad and Mick Moore, ‘Revenue Authorities and Public Authority in Sub-Saharan Africa’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 2009, 47, 1, 1-18.
32. Kimuli Kasara, ‘Tax Me if you Can: Ethnic Geography, Democracy, and the Taxation of Agriculture in Africa’, American Political Science Review, 2007, 101, 1, 159-172.
33. Cristina Bodea and Adrienne LeBas, ‘The Origins of Voluntary Compliance: Attitudes toward Taxation in Urban Nigeria’, British Journal of Political Science, 2016, 46, 1, 215-238.
Volume 3: Identity Politics, Conflict and Accommodation: Class, Religion and Ethnicity
Part 1. Class and Inequality
34. Nicoli Nattrass and Jeremy Seekings, ‘Democracy and Distribution in Highly Unequal Economies: The Case of South Africa’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 2001, 39, 3, 471-498.
35. Nicolas Van de Walle, ‘The Institutional Origins of Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa’, Annual Review of Political Science, 2009, 12, 307-327.
36. Bruce J. Berman, ‘"A Palimpsest of Contradictions": Ethnicity, Class, and Politics in Africa’, International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2004, 13-31.
Part 2. The Politics of Religion
37. Stephen Ellis and Gerrie ter Haar, ‘Religion and Politics: Taking African Epistemologies Seriously’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 2007, 45, 3, 385-401.
38. Rachel Beatty Riedl, ‘Transforming Politics, Dynamic Religion: Religion's Political Impact in Contemporary Africa’, African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review, 2012, 2, 2, 29-50.
39. Leonardo A. Villalón, ‘From Argument to Negotiation: Constructing Democracy in African Muslim Contexts’, Comparative Politics, 2010, 42, 4, 375-393.
Part 3. Ethnicity, Citizenship, and Development
40. D. N. Posner, ‘The Political Salience of Cultural Difference: Why Chewas and Tumbukas are Allies in Zambia and Adversaries in Malawi’, American Political Science Review, 2004, 98, 4, 529-545.
41. Francis B. Nyamnjoh, ‘From Bounded to Flexible Citizenship: Lessons from Africa’, Citizenship Studies, 2007, 11, 1, 73-82.
42. Edward Miguel, ‘Tribe or Nation? Nation Building and Public Goods in Kenya versus Tanzania’, World Politics, 2004, 56, 3, 328-362.
Part 4. Identity, Land, and Conflict
43. S. Moyo and Prosper Matondi, ‘The Politics of Land Reform in Zimbabwe’, in From Cape to Congo: Southern Africa’s Evolving Security Challenges (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2003), pp. 73-96.
44. Peter Geschiere, ‘Autochthony and Citizenship: New Modes of Understanding in the Struggle over Belonging and Exclusion in Africa’, Forum for Development Studies, 2005, 33, 2, 371-384.
45. Catherine Boone, ‘Land Regimes and the Structure of Politics: Patterns of Land-Related Conflict’, Africa, 2013, 83, 1, 188-203.
Part 5. Civil War and Ethnic Violence
46. E. Elbadawi and Nicholas Sambanis, ‘Why are there so Many Civil Wars in Africa? Understanding and Preventing Violent Conflict’, Journal of African Economies, 2000, 9, 3, 244-269.
47. Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, ‘On the Incidence of Civil War in Africa’, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2002, 46, 1, 13-28.
48. Scott Straus, ‘Wars Do End! Changing Patterns of Political Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa’, African Affairs, 2012, 111, 443, 179-201.
Part 6. Peacebuilding, Power Sharing and Inter-Ethnic Accommodation
49. Andreas Mehler, ‘Peace and Power Sharing in Africa: A Not so Obvious Relationship’, African Affairs, 2009, 108, 432, 453-473.
50. Leonard R. Arriola, ‘Patronage and Political Stability in Africa’, Comparative Political Studies, 2009, 1339-1362.
51. Rotimi Suberu, ‘Federalism in Africa: The Nigerian Experience in Comparative Perspective’, Ethnopolitics, 2009, 8, 1, 67-86.
Volume 4: Authoritarianism and the Struggle for Democracy: Civil Society, Political Representation and Elections
Part 1. Contemporary Authoritarianism
52. Patrick J. McGowan, ‘Coups and Conflict in West Africa, 1955-2004. Part I, Theoretical Perspectives’, Armed Forces & Society, 2005, 32, 1, 5-23.
53. Nicolas Van de Walle, ‘Africa's Range of Regimes’, Journal of Democracy, 2002, 13, 2, 66-80.
54. Aili Mari Tripp, ‘The Changing Face of Authoritarianism in Africa: The Case of Uganda’, Africa Today, 2004, 50, 3, 3-26.
55. Blessing-Miles Tendi, ‘Ideology, Civilian Authority and the Zimbabwean Military’, Journal of Southern African Studies, 2013, 39, 4, 829-843.
Part 2. Political Parties and Party Systems
56. Carrie Manning, ‘Assessing African Party Systems after the Third Wave’, Party Politics, 2005, 11, 6, 707-727.
57. Leonardo R. Arriola, ‘Capital and Opposition in Africa: Coalition Building in Multiethnic Societies’, World Politics, 2013, 65, 2, 233-272.
Part 3. Clientelism and Political Mobilization
58. Michael Bratton, Ravi Bhavnani, and Tse-Hsin Chen, ‘Voting Intentions in Africa: Ethnic, Economic or Partisan?’, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 2012, 50, 1, 27-52.
59. Staffan I. Lindberg, ‘"It's Our Time to" Chop": Do Elections in Africa Feed Neo-Patrimonialism rather than Counter-Act It?’, Democratization, 2003, 10, 2, 121-140.
60. Leonard Wantchekon, ‘Clientelism and Voting Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Benin’, World Politics, 2003, 55, 3, 399-422.
Part 4. The Power of Elections
61. Staffan I. Lindberg, ‘The Surprising Significance of African Elections’, Journal of Democracy, 2006, 17, 1, 139-151.
62. Nic Cheeseman, ‘African Elections as Vehicles for Change’, Journal of Democracy, 2010, 21, 4, 139-153.
Part 5. Horizontal Accountability and Political Institutionalization
63. Daniel N. Posner and Daniel J. Young, ‘The Institutionalization of Political Power in Africa’, Journal of Democracy, 2007, 18, 3, 126-140.
64. H. Kwasi Prempeh, ‘Presidents Untamed, Journal of Democracy, 2008, 19, 2, 109-123.
65. Joel D. Barkan, ‘Legislatures on the Rise?’, Journal of Democracy, 2008, 19, 2, 124-137.
66. Peter VonDoepp and Rachel Ellett, ‘Reworking Strategic Models of Executive-Judicial Relations: Insights from new African Democracies’, Comparative Politics, 2011, 43, 2, 147-165.
Part 6. Civil Society, Gender, and Political Representation
67. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, ‘Civil society and democratic development’, Democratic Reform in Africa: The Quality of Progress (Lynne Rienner, 2004), pp. 99-120.
68. Jeff Haynes, ‘Religion and Democratization in Africa’, Democratization, 2004, 11, 4, 66-89.
69. Aili Mari Tripp, ‘Women in Movement Transformations in African Political Landscapes, International Feminist Journal of Politics, 2003, 5, 2, 233-255.
70. Gretchen Bauer and Jennie E. Burnet, ‘Gender Quotas, Democracy, and Women's Representation in Africa: Some Insights from Democratic Botswana and autocratic Rwanda’, Women's Studies International Forum, 2013, 41, 103-112.
'This valuable, four-volume reference work brings together 70 scholarly articles, almost all published since 2000. They come from English-language sources only. Volume 1, devoted to Africa and the world, contains six sections: colonial rule and its legacy; sovereignty, dependency and extraversion; aid and the governance agenda; the African Diaspora and rise of remittances; Pan-Africanism, the African Union, and regional integration; and the rise of China and a multipolar world. Volume 2 shifts the focus to the African state, including the postcolonial state and its limitations; traditional leaders, "hybrid institutions," and ungoverned spaces; neo-patrimonialism, clandestine economies, and corruption; developmental patrimonialism and developmental states; and taxation and the social contract. Volume 3 tackles identity politics, conflict, and accommodation. Parts include class and inequality; the politics of religion; ethnicity, citizenship and development; identity, land, and conflict; civil war and ethnic violence; and peacebuilding, power sharing, and interethnic accommodation. The fourth volume centers on authoritarianism and the struggle for democracy: contemporary authoritarianism; political parties and party systems; clientelism and political mobilization; the power of elections; horizontal accountability and political institutionalization; and civil society, gender, and political representation. Cheeseman introduces each volume, whose parts contain two to four well-chosen articles. Summing Up: Essential' C. E. Welch, University at Buffalo, SUNY, CHOICE Magazine January 2017 Vol. 54 No. 5
