Democratization’s Trajectory through Change and Continuity in Sub-Saharan Africa

Democratization’s Trajectory through Change and Continuity in Sub-Saharan Africa

By : Issau Agostinho Ana Magdalena Figueroa Mark Amaliya Anyorikeya Christopher Jivot Bitouloulou Chibueze Ofobuike

Release date: Apr 2019

Nuova Cultura

ISBN: 9788868129347


More About this Book

Beyond the examples above, this book presents us with in-depth analyses on several African countries which are seldom assessed when the topic is democracy and whose experiences vary on an axis that can be generalised and applied for other countries in the continent, since they happened in countries from different regions and with different backgrounds. Throughout the book, challenges and opportunities for democracy consolidation in Burkina Faso, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe are studied and invite the reader to promptly question conventional knowledge on the topic. In addition, the book also analyses the mechanisms and tools that the African Union have to manage (un)democratic changes on its member-states and thoroughly and innovatively assesses the impacts that migration has on democracy in Africa.

As a passionate researcher on African politics and international relations, I am confident to say that this book will be useful for anyone who wants to get a better and unbiased sense on challenges and opportunities for democracy in Africa. By challenging conventional knowledge and presenting fair generalisations whilst highlighting heterogeneity, this book contributes to a better understanding of the democratic processes in the continent and encourages scholars and students to deepen their knowledge and to engage in further research on the topic. Since I save no effort in helping people to develop a critical thinking and to deconstruct stereotypes that accompany African politics, this book will certainly be included in the recommended readings for my students.

The authors, who are Political Scientists and mostly members of the International Association of Political Science Students (IAPSS), based in Netherlands, share a collective research interest in the slowing state towards full implementation of democracy, democratization or democratic transition processes wherever it applies in Sub-Saharan Africa. They collaborated on this project guided by two central questions: what factors are slowing down democratization around the continent and what are the repertoires of contesting democracy’s negative outcomes by citizens on the African continent? Through their respective contributions, the book takes stock of persisting challenges in stagnant democracies and tracks emerging mechanisms shaping democratic transitions in Africa.
This book also seeks to provoke and stimulate debate among academicians and Political Scientists interested in democracy in general and democratization in Africa in particular, and it is the hope that the various chapters open new pathways for understanding how democratization process in the region can adapt to the demand for change.