African Politics

Political Science 359, African Studies 390

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:30pm to 1:50pm

Kresge 2-435

William Reno

Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.

-- Presidential candidate, George W Bush, June 2001

We are prepared to send election observers to Florida as needed.

-- Governor Adesina, Oyo State, Nigeria, Dec 2000.

Course Description:

This course provides an overview of key issues in the evolution of African politics since the colonial era. The geographic focus of this course will concern sub-Saharan Africa. While North Africa will enter into some of the concerns of this class, the bulk of the course material will consider the particular historical experiences and contemporary legacies of the politics of the vast region to the south of the Sahara.

This course focuses on explanations for what many perceive to be a crisis of African politics. What is this crisis? In an oft-cited comparison, for example, it has been noted that when Ghana became independent in 1957 its’ citizens enjoyed a higher level of income and standard of living than did citizens of South Korea. According to the United National Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2004 (available at http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/), South Korea has a per capita income (converted for purchasing parity) of $16,950, compared to Ghana’s $2,130. South Koreans can expect to live an average of 75.4 years, which is 17.6 years longer than the average for Ghana. Of the 177 countries that this report rates across a range of social indicators, all but three of the bottom 35 states are located in Africa. This latter figure indicates that something big has happened; that Africa occupies a low position in a global hierarchy of development, an outcome that would have been surprising to many observers in the 1950s and 1960s.

The bulk of this course will trace developments that have played significant roles in shaping the internal politics of Africa’s states. The first part of the course focuses on colonial legacies, initial Pan-African visions of a post-colonial future, struggles for national liberation, the role of ethnicity in political life, the military coups d’états that begin almost simultaneously with the wave of national independence on the continent, and the rise of “big man politics” and patronage-based political networks.

The second part of the course shifts gears to take account of dramatic developments since the 1980s. The first concerns the nearly universal wave of economic reforms. Though a few have been of indigenous origin, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have designed and instigated the implementation of the great majority of these economic programs. The replacement of single party and other authoritarian regimes with electoral multi-party civilian regimes, however, has resulted from the combined pressures of indigenous and outside forces.

The last part of the course considers the trajectories of contemporary African politics. Readings and lectures explore the problem of so-called “failed states” and internal conflict, a condition that has directly affected about a dozen of Africa’s 52 states since 2000. While the focus of much of western reporting, this is not the continent’s only—or even majority—trajectory. The course thus explores alternative channels of politics, including society-based political movements that look beyond states as primary legitimate units for politics. We finish the class with a return to Pan-Africanism, a durable idea in African politics.

Course Requirements:

Students are required to complete all of the following required assignments in order to have the opportunity to receive a passing grade in this course. The relative weight of each assignment is as follows:

Participation / attendance 10%

A map quiz 5% In-class, Tuesday, 18 January

A midterm exam 25% In-class, Thursday, 3 February

A final exam 30% Monday, 14 March, 7pm to 9pm

A paper of no more than 10 pages 30% Due in class on Thursday, 3 March

What are these assignments? Participation / attendance do not require spontaneous explosions of profundity and can be satisfied with regular attendance and observable evidence of having read assignments, etc. The extreme contrary, such as the failure to show up for class at all, will have a measurable negative impact on evaluation. The map quiz will require that students fill in the names of countries and capital cities on an unlabeled map. The reading packet contains a map with necessary labels and one with outlines of countries only. The former can be used for studying and memorizing and the latter can be used as a practice quiz. The midterm exam will be short answer and essay format and will be administered in class. I will provide further details about the exam in due course. The final exam will be comprehensive, though with a focus on material from the second half of the course. This will be administered during the regular two hour final exam period noted at the end of the class calendar below.

The paper is due at the end of the last class on the 3^rd of March. This paper should be limited to ten pages. The topic of the paper should address the last heading of the class calendar: “Which Direction Now?” For example, the paper writer could propose a pan-African solution to contemporary problems. Others may argue for a redoubling of market reforms. Others find answers in electoral democracy. The point is that there is no single “correct answer” that is required for this paper. Rather, evaluation will be based upon how coherently the outlines for a solution are presented, and how well the writer makes an argument for this solution over at least one other reasonable alternative. Readings from class may be used to provide data and other information to be incorporated into this argument. Students are free to consult work outside of the assigned readings. As length is limited, this writing assignment should not evolve into a major research project. Writers will, however, benefit from incorporating African based debates and data into their arguments. The excellent Herskovits Africana library, located on floor five of the Main Library’s East Tower (and of which we will have a tour) has copious holdings of these materials.

Booklist

The first three books are required textbooks for this course. The other three books are available for purchase at the Norris Bookstore on campus. This course also has a reading packet that provides readers with the writings of African social scientists directed to wider audiences, primary documents, media commentaries and related material [mostly] from the African continent. Assigned items from this packet are denoted as “ * ” in the class calendar. The reading packet is available for purchase at Copycat at 1830 Sherman Avenue. The Denzer volume will be available during the first class meetings and will cost $25. It is a Nigerian publication and therefore is difficult to procure in the US in any other way.

Alex Thomson. 2000. Introduction to African Politics. New York: Routledge.

Fred Cooper. 2002. Africa since 1940: The Past of the Present. New York: Cambridge.

Nicolas van de Walle. 2001. African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1979-1999. New York: Cambridge.

LaRay Denzer. 2001. Folayegbe M Akintunde-Ighodalo: A Public Life. Ibadan: Sam Bookman Publishers.

Class Calendar

Notebook link here

January 4: Introduction

January 6: Colonial Legacies in Contemporary African Politics

Denzer, “Okeigbo” & “Queen’s College,” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 1-39.

Thomson, “Africa’s Pre-colonial and Colonial Inheritance,” in his Introduction to African

Politics, 7-29.

Cooper, “From Colonies to Third World,” in his Africa since 1940, 1-19.

· “The Rhodes Colossus” Punch [London], 10 Dec 1892

· Petroleum Department, Colonial Office [London] “Concession to prospect for Oil,” 16 Feb 1932.

· Acting Governor, Nigeria, “Disturbances in Warri Province,” 14 Oct 1952.

· District Commissioner, Kailahun District [Sierra Leone], “Confidential,” 12 Oct 1949.

Liberation and After

January 11: The Age of Nationalism

Denzer, “Changing Horizons” & “London,” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 41-103.

Cooper, “Workers, Peasants and the Crisis of Colonialism,” in his Africa since 1940,” 20-37.

· Opobo National Assembly [Nigeria], “A Resolution”, Oct 1958.

· “He Shares Birthday with Nigeria,” Guardian [Lagos], 30 Sept 2000.

January 13: Nationalism and Liberation

Denzer, “Not too Obedient Servant,” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 105-35.

Thomson, “Ideology” in his Introduction to African Politics, 30-56.

Cooper, “Citizenship, “Ending Empire,” & “Late Decolonizers,” in his Africa since 1940, 38-84 & 133-55.

· Eritrean Liberation Front, “Advances on the Political Front,” Jan 1976, 2-11.

· Joint Statement of the Somali Liberation Fronts, “Oppression Versus Colonialism,” [1977]

January 18: Ethnicity and Politics, I & Women in Politics

Denzer. “Women’s Empowerment” & “Flag-Bearers” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-

Ighodalo, 171-231.

Thomson. “Ethnicity” in his Introduction to African Politics, 57-73.

· ABANTU for Development, “A Women’s Manifesto for Ghana,” 2004.

(You can find public opinion survey data on matters of ethnicity [and much more] at http://www.afrobarometer.org/publications.html)

*** Map quiz at the start of class ***

(Here is a good map game that you can use to hone your geography knowledge: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/African_Geography.htm.

January 20: Ethnicity and Politics, II

Thomson, “Social Class” in his Introduction to African Politics, 74-98.

Cooper, “Interlude” & “Development and Disappointment,” 85-132.

· Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, “The National Question in Comparative African Perspective,” in Eghosa Osaghae & Ebere Onwudiwe, eds., The Management of the National Question in Nigeria, Ibadan: Programme on Ethnic and Federal Studies, University of Ibadan, 2001, 1-20.

January 25: Military Interventions in Politics, I

Denzer. “Permanent Secretary” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 137-70.

Thomson. “Coercion” in his Introduction to African Politics, 121-40.

· Patrick J McGowan. 2003. “African Military Coups d’état, 1956-2001: Frequency, Trends and Distribution,” Journal of Modern African Studies, 41:3, 339-70.

· “Want to Get Ahead Faster?” Punch [London], 3 Feb 1971.

· On US policy to assist African military training, see http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dod/acri.htm.

January 27: Military Interventions in Politics, II

Denzer. “Retirement and After” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 233-57.

· Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, “Letter to Inspector General,” 1 Dec 1993.

· Owei Lakemfa, “America’s Monkey Business in Nigeria,” Vanguard [Lagos], 29 Aug 2000.

· Editorial, “The Marines Have Landed,” Tempo [Lagos], 8 March 2001.

February 1: Personal Rule – The Rise of Big Men and the Politics of Patronage

Denzer. “Faith and Work” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 259-84.

Thomson. “Legitimacy” in his Introduction to African Politics, 99-120.

· “Petition against Paramount Chief…,” [Sierra Leone], 19 Nov 1982.

· “Suspension of Paramount Chief…,” [Sierra Leone], 18 Oct 1982.

· “Suspension of Paramount Chief…,” [Sierra Leone], 17 Jan 1983.

February 3: Midterm Exam, in-class.

Thomson. “Sovereignty” in his Introduction to African Politics, 141-64. [This should be read in

addition to preparing for the exam. It contains material that will not be included in the midterm exam and will be covered in subsequent classes.]

The Vicissitudes of Reform

February 8: Economic Reform: Debt Crises and the Collapse of Economic Nationalism

Van de Walle, “Introduction” & “Approaches to Africa’s Permanent Crisis” in his African

Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1-63.

Cooper, “The Recurrent Crises,” in his Africa since 1940, 156-90.

· Ministry of Finance [of Sierra Leone], “Form M” [1990].

February 10: Economic Reform: Structural Adjustment

Thomson, “Sovereignty again” in his Introduction to African Politics, 165-88.

Van de Walle, “Patterns of Reform” & “Decision-Making” in his African

Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 64-151.

· Sule Lamido, “Globalisation: Looking at the African Perspective,” Punch [Lagos], 26 Sept 2000.

· Una Okonkwo, “Igbo Emigrants in Chicago Invest at Home, 1986-1996: The Case of Houses,” in Jane Guyer, LaRay Denzer, Adigun Agbaje, eds., Money Struggles & City Life: Devaluation in Ibadan and Other Urban Centres in Southern Nigeria, 1986-1996, Ibadan: Bookbinders, 2003, 239-55.

· Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The Line of No Return,” [Op-ed in The New York Times, 29 Nov 2004.]

February 15: Democratization: First Elections

Thomson, “Democracy” in his Introduction to African Politics, 215-41.

Van de Walle, “State Responses” & “The Crisis” in his African Economies and the Politics

of Permanent Crisis, 152-234.

· People’s Democratic Party, et al., [Nigeria], 2003.

· “For President Vote for Ahmad Tejan Kabbah,” [Sierra Leone], 1996.

· “Stability is Kenya’s Most Precious Possession,” 1992.

Which Direction Now?

February 17: Democratization: The Consolidation of Electoral Civilian Regimes

Denzer, “Matriarch” in her Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo, 285-90.

Van de Walle. 2001. “Democratization” & “Conclusion” in his African Economies and the

Politics of Permanent Crisis, 235-86.

February 22: Political Violence and the Collapse of Regimes, I

Thomson, “Authority” in his Introduction to African Politics, 189-214.

· National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government, “Memorandum of Understanding,” 17 Jan 1992 and other documents from rebel-held parts of Liberia.

· “NPFL Men Still Looting,” The Inquirer, [Monrovia], 24 Nov 1995.

· United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy, “List of Items Received,” 9 Oct 1995.

· Richard Elesho & Michael Mukwuzi, “Blood in the Delta,” TheNews, [Lagos], 7 April 2003, 20-27.

February 24: Political Violence and the Collapse of States

United Nations Security Council, Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1395 (2002), Paragraph 4, in Relation to Liberia, 11 April 2002, available at www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/Liberia2/470e.pdf

· “Fighters Selling Arms at Border,” National Chronicle, [Monrovia], 23 July 2004.

· George Parker, “Gangster War, New Yorker, 3 Nov 2003, 68-77.

· Special Court for Sierra Leone, “The Prosecutor against Charles Ghankay Taylor,” 7 March 2003.

March 1: Societal Alternatives to State Politics

Cooper, “Africa at the Century’s Turn,” in his Africa since 1940, 191-204.

· Emeka Iwuagwu, “The Irony Called Nigeria,” Punch, [Lagos], 21 July 2001.

· “Do We Appreciate Made in Sierra Leone?” Independent Observer [Freetown], 15 July 2004.

· National Congress of Anioma Youths, “Anioma Awake!” Sunday Vanguard [Lagos], 10 Sept 2000.

· Osman Sankoh, “Is Tupac Alive?” Concord Times [Freetown], 11 & 18 Nov 2000.

March 3: Pan-African Alternatives to State Politics

· “Edward Wilmot Blyden,” Sierra Leonean Heroes: Fifty Great Men and Women who Helped to Build Our Nation, Freetown, 1988.

· Dele Sobowale, “Fela Anikulapo—Rebel with a Cause,” Sunday Vanguard [Lagos], 22 April 2001.

· Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, “Reflections on Africa’s Historic and Current Initiatives for Political and Economic Unity.”

*** Papers are due in class on this day ***

The final exam will be administered on MONDAY, 14 MARCH from 7pm to 9pm in Kresge 2-435, which also serves as the classroom throughout the term.

What do we not study adequately during this term? Religion in politics (such as the evolving role of Islam and evangelical Christianity in political change), the varieties of youth politics, and a myriad of issues related to the Africa’s place in global society have been given short-shrift. We have to work within the constraints of the term system, and if you want more courses on these topics, one suggestion is to lobby for them.