An Introduction to African Politics

by Alex Thomson

The third edition of An Introduction to African Politics continues to be the ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent. It gets to the heart of the politics of this part of the world, tackling questions such as: How is modern Africa still influenced by its colonial past? How do strong ethnic identities on the continent affect government? Why has the military been so influential? Why do African states have such difficulty managing their economies? How does African democracy differ from democracy in the West?

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 continent since independence.

Features and benefits of the third edition:





Thematically organised, with individual chapters exploring issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, religion, social class, ideology, legitimacy, authority, sovereignty and democracy. Identifies key recurrent themes such as the competitive relationships between the African state, its civil society and external interests. Contains useful boxed case studies at the end of each chapter, including: Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Cote d Ivoire, Uganda, Somalia, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe. Each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions, as well as questions and advice on further reading. Illustrated throughout with images of important political figures, and key moments in African history. Important terms and concepts are explained in a clear and accessible manner and supported by contemporary examples.

This expanded, fully revised and updated edition remains the ideal gateway for students seeking to make sense of the dynamic and diverse political systems that are a feature of this fascinating part of the world. "

Genres: Africa, Politics, Nonfiction, Reference, Historical, Political Science, Philosophy

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2000

Reviews

[Izzy]

La parte más triste de tener que haber leído este libro por la escuela es que nunca podré decirle a la maestra que estuve pensando en Black panther o hacerle referencias de Black panther porque mi maestra no me da clases, pero me a dejado dos cosas muy buenas :

1- en cuanto termine mis otras tareas, veré Black panther
2- esta frase: “On the whole, it's a story of how states, civil societies and external interests have failed one another”

[Juan Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un manual fantástico y muy completo para hacerse con una idea general de las características políticas comunes a lo largo del continente. Incluye muchas referencias y bibliografía para profundizar en temas concretos.

[Charles Williams]

This was a textbook for an African Political Science course I audited back in 2016. I have not looked at it since that time.

[Carmen von Rohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from reading this book! Politics on the African continent are complex, diverse, and fascinating. I can see how students of political science would be drawn to study of the continent. It was also interesting in the way that it illuminated issues of democratic legitimacy, particularly as we are undergoing what I would call a period of democratic delegitimization in many Western democracies.

[Denzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly written book that presents comparative politics as it should, by themes. This book is great even for non political scientists. I would highly recommend picking up a copy and reading it as to avoid falling into the popular misconceptions about the continent as some dark primitive place that people like to pretend it is.

[Katon · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this book for a particular class namely politics and governments of Africa. Acting like a bible, this book really provided me with a basic and profound information on African politics. The book covers various political and social aspects starting from social structure to economic regionalism. For a student at his beginning of African studies, this book is very much useful and helpful.

[رضوى محمد · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very useful introduction to the study of African political systems and it is easy to be understood fof those who are not specialised in African studies or even political science but it is still over detailed and redundant to some extent .

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good textbook to use for a course on African politics. Its primary focus is on the interaction between state and civil society within Subsaharan African nations. There is a fairly big helping of neocolonialism in the book, but it does treat alternative theories fairly.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little introductory primer on African politics. Doesn't go into too much depth but that's ok if you're just looking for an introduction to African politics.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

great introduction to further your knowledge on academic books relating to specific issues and different case studies to learn how to pose a political analyses of specific countries in the continent.

[Sarah Crisan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the books used for my favorite class. The text and I were great friends all semester.