An introduction to African politics / Alex Thomson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introductions and the Historical Inheritance -- State, civil society and external interests -- History : Africa's pre-colonial and colonial inheritance -- Case study : Mali's historical inheritance -- The Dominant African State, 1960s-1970s -- Ideology : nationalism, socialism, populism and state capitalism -- Case study : socialism and ujamaa in Tanzania -- Ethnicity and religion : 'tribes', gods and political identity -- Case study : ethnicity, religion and the nation-state in Nigeria -- Social class : the search for class politics in Africa -- Case study : social class in Botswana -- Legitimacy : neo-patrimonialism, personal rule and the centralisation of the African state -- Case study : personal rule in Côte d'Ivoire -- Coercion : military intervention in African politics -- Case study : Uganda's 1971 military coup -- Sovereignty I : external influences on African politics -- Case study : Somalia's international relations The Weakened Africa State, 1980s-1990s -- Sovereignty II : neo-colonialism, structural adjustment and Africa's political economy -- Case study : Ghana's structural adjustment -- Authority : the crises of accumulation, governance and state collapse -- Case study : Zaire - Mobutu's vampire state -- The Re-fashioned African State, 1990s-present -- Democracy : multi-party elections re-legitimising the African state? -- Case study : Algeria's unconsolidated democracy -- Hybrid regimes : 'Africa rising', stalled transitions, or something in-between? -- Case study : Angola's electoral authoritarianism -- Conclusions -- The changing relationship between state, civil society and external interests in post-colonial Africa.

"This fully updated fifth edition of An Introduction to African Politics is an ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent. Charting trends in government over six decades of the post-colonial era, the book tackles key questions such as: How have African states made sense of their colonial inheritance? How relevant are ethnic and religious identities? Why have some states collapsed and others prospered? Why did the one-party state fail? Why is contemporary Africa now dominated by electoral authoritarian states, and not the multi-party democracies promised in the 1990s? Key features include: thematically organised, with chapters exploring issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, religion, social class, ideology, legitimacy, authority, sovereignty, and democracy; new four-part structure makes clearer Africa's political evolution over time; new chapter on the emergence of 'hybrid states' and 'electoral authoritarianism'; more coverage of 21st century governance trends such as China's impact, the changing role of the military, different uses of 'client patron' networks, Western conditionality, and the 'Africa rising' debate; colour presentation of maps, photos and data; boxed case studies including Mali, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, Somalia, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia and Angola; each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions, questions and further reading. An Introduction to African Politics is essential reading for students seeking an accessible introduction to the complex social relationships and events that characterize the politics of post-colonial Africa"--