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Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument
How do political systems in Africa work? Is the "real" business of politics taking place outside the scope of standard political analysis, in an "informal" or more personalised setting? How are the prospects for reform and renewal in African societies affected by the emerging elites? Is "modernisation" in Africa different? Are there within African countries social, political and cultural factors which aspire to the continuation of patrimony and conspire against economic development? Relations of power between rulers and the ruled continue to inform the role of the state and the expectations of the newly emphasized civil society. The question of identity, the resurgence of ethnicity and its attendant "tribal" politics, the growing importance of African religions and the increasing resort to extreme and often ritualised violence in situations of civil disorder, point to a process of "re-traditionalising" in African societies African Issues, edited by Alex de Waal
February 1999 192 pp 5 x 8 Index
February 1999 192 pp 5 x 8 Index
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2007
This was like being back in Complex Emergencies class, great stuff. While it isn't necessarily a "new" argument, the way they tie things together and present them is really well done. First book in a long time that I found myself breaking out the highlighter for sections of the book I plan on thinking more about.
September 22, 2021
Very good insights into the workings of the mind of the African political elite. Some of it quite politically incorrect but true and I say this as an African who lives in an African country and sees all this first hand. Some of the assertions may be a little off but over all a timeless work. This is one of those books I know I will come back to over and over again and will highly recommend to practitioners who wish to understand African politics and development better
February 21, 2018
He echado de menos más información concreta y me ha sobrado algo de retórica, pero el enfoque del libro y la información que presenta me han resultado muy interesantes.
October 24, 2008
Afrika funktioniert! Denn die Unordnung ist Teil der Funktionalität: Sie wird politisch instrumentalisiert (Klientelismus ist leichter); sie ist Teil eines verzweigten Weges in Richtung Moderne; sie wird wirtschaftlich ausgenutzt (Korruption ist leichter).
Was ich noch gelernt habe: Es gibt verschiedene Theorien zum postkolonialen Staat. 1. Der neo-patrimonialistische Staat besteht aus einer Mischung informeller Beziehungen, die starke Institutionen verhindern, und Kontrolle von oben. 2. Der hybride Staat besteht aus einer diffusen Kombination unterschiedlichster Werte, durch welche westliche Staatsformen erfolgreich an den afrikanischen Kontext angepasst wurden. 3. Der nicht transplantierende Staat hat den westlichen Staat nicht etablieren können und darum etwas eigenes errichtet.
Was ich noch gelernt habe: Es gibt verschiedene Theorien zum postkolonialen Staat. 1. Der neo-patrimonialistische Staat besteht aus einer Mischung informeller Beziehungen, die starke Institutionen verhindern, und Kontrolle von oben. 2. Der hybride Staat besteht aus einer diffusen Kombination unterschiedlichster Werte, durch welche westliche Staatsformen erfolgreich an den afrikanischen Kontext angepasst wurden. 3. Der nicht transplantierende Staat hat den westlichen Staat nicht etablieren können und darum etwas eigenes errichtet.
July 23, 2016
This is perhaps one of the best books I have ready on African politics. The authors take a fresh and interesting approach to the instrumentalisation of power in Africa and discuss how it impacts African societies and economies. The book provides a wonderful framework with which to analyse African politics. Every scholar of African politics should read this book. Going forward, I would say that this is now my "go to" book on African politics.
July 4, 2013
In this classic study, Chabal and Daloz examine how the post-colonial centralized state interacts with the still very powerful informal structures of local identity, loyalty and patronage in African countries, producing both acceptable redistribution of resources and major corruption blocking development.
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November 7, 2016WE ARE INTERESTED IN THESE BOOKS AS STUDENTS MASTERING IN GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN DRCONGO. WE NEED TO ACCESS FOR READING EVEN READY TO BUY THE BOOKS OF PATRICK CHABAL
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews