An Introduction to African Politics

"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"--

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of tables -- List of maps -- List of plates -- 1 Introduction: state, civil society and external interests -- 2 History: Africa's pre-colonial and colonial inheritance -- Case study: Kenya's historical inheritance -- 3 Ideology: nationalism, socialism, populism and state capitalism -- Case study: socialism and ujamaa in Tanzania -- 4 Ethnicity and religion: 'tribes', gods and political identity -- Case study: ethnicity, religion and the nation-state in Nigeria

An Introduction to African Politics is the ideal textbook for those new to the study of this vast and fascinating continent. It makes sense of the diverse political systems that are a feature of Africa by using familiar concepts, chapter by chapter, to examine the continent as a whole. The result is a textbook that identifies the essential features of African politics, allowing students to grasp the recurring political patterns that have dominated this part of the world since independence.Features and benefits of the book include:* thematically organised, with individual chapters exploring issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, social class, ideology, legitimacy, sovereignty, and democracy* identifies the key recurrent theme of competitive relationships between the African state, its civil society, and external interests* contains useful boxed case studies of key countries at the end of each chapter, including: Kenya; Tanzania; Nigeria; Botswana; Ivory Coast; Uganda; Somalia; Ghana; Zaire; and Algeria* each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions as well as questions, advice on further reading, and useful notes and references* clearly and accessibly written by an experienced teacher of the subject.