Radical changes have taken place in Africa since 1990. What are the realities of these changes? What significant differences have emerged between African countries? What is the future for democracy in the continent?
The editors have chosen eleven key countries to provide enlightening comparisons and contrasts to stimulate discussion among students. They have brought together a team of scholars who are actively working in the changing Africa of today. Each chapter is structured around a framing event which defines the experience of democratisation.
The editors have provided an overview of the turning points in African politics. They engage with debates on how to study and evaluate democracy in Africa, such as the limits of elections. They identify four major themes with which to examine similarities and divergences as well as to explain change and continuity in what happened in the past.
ABDUL RAUFU MUSTAPHA is University Lecturer in African Politics at Queen Elizabeth House and Kirk-Greene Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford; LINDSAY WHITFIELD is a Research Fellow at the Danish Institute of International Studies, Copenhagen.
Reviews
This well-written and interesting book explores democratization processes and experiences in selected African cases. Its rich country case studies make it possible to compare and illustrate a diversity of contexts across the continent. [...] A welcome addition to the literature on democracy and democratization processes in Africa. It is a must-read for those interested in African politics, democracy and democratization. AFRICAN AFFAIRSAn insightful introduction and conclusion help the reader compare national experiences and put the cases in the context of the varied trajectories of democracy on the African continent. Highly recommended. CHOICE
