Africanists' Contributions to Political Science

In: PS: political science & politics, Band 34, Heft 4, S. 797-800

Abstract

Africanist contributions to political science that appeared in the early days of the discipline in the late 1950s have continued with the current generation of Africanists. Africanist research has been fundamental to modernization & cultural pluralism theories. It has contributed concepts like "clientelism," expanded qualitative methodologies, & highlighted issues underrepresented by Americanist scholars. Africanists do not believe that homogenizing political science benefits research or teaching. Africa's relative political marginalization provides an especially interesting counterpoint to Americanist content. It forces a confrontation between exogenous & endogenous definitions of culture that is a revived research frontier. 22 References. M. Pflum