Thereafter africa has attempted to follow the european model of democratic governance. This book examines the effects of ethnicity on party politics in subsaharan africa. Request pdf on sep 1, 2016, arina muresan and others published ethnicity, democracy and citizenship in africa. Democracy and governance in africa democratization in. In ethnicity and democracy in africa, the contributors address why ethnicity represents a political problem, how the problem manifests itself, and which institutional models offer ways of ameliorating the challenges that ethnicity poses to democratic nationbuilding.
It is not clear that ethnicity by itself generates conflict or that it is inherently threatening. Analysis of the impact of negative ethnicity on national. Ethnicity, citizenship, and democracy in america and in africa compared. Ethnicity and democracy in africa download ebook pdf. The workshops were convened against the background of what many observers have called the second wave of liberation in africa. The issue of ethnicity and democratization in africa sage journals. These o s cieties are often characterized by persistent deeprooted and identityrelated. Conventional wisdom suggests that ethnicity is phenomenally problematic in africa it is held partly responsible for the irrationalities of the development project, for political instability and weak national identity. For this reason, historians and anthropologists have joined. The movement toward democracy in africa democratization.
Introduction electoral processes are of utmost importance in a democracy. In kenya there is a relationship between ethnic fractionalization, lower levels of democracy and bad governance. Negotiated democracy and its place in kenyas devolved system of government. This article posits that one type of democracy is missing from the current typology of democracies.
What are the main impediments to democracy in africa. Both organisations measure a range of factors including human rights, property rights and free elections to determine the status of states as. Political marginalisation of kenyas nubians contemporary african politics balatonchrimes, samantha on. Political instability in africa where the problem lies and. The challenges of democracy and democratisation in. Authoritarian regimes are being challenged by individuals and movements in search of more democratic forms of. Examine the regional geopolitical dynamics that have shaped are shaping the. This is partly because of the tendency to view ethnic difference as a major cause or driver of civil wars or political instability in africa. Click download or read online button to get ethnicity in africa book now. Ethnicity, cultural diversity and poverty in south africa. Ethnic politics and its implications for the survival of. Introduction this paper explores the relationship between armed conflict and constitutional and political engineering in ethnoplural african societies. The same problem could be observed in south africa, cameroon, kenya, rwanda, zimbabwe, and elsewhere in africa.
Democracy in africa successes, failures, and the struggle for political reform. In the foregoing, i argue in the paper that the view that africa is a continent on drift is a notion, which fails to recognise the positive developments in africa, but also the complex mix of factors at local. Pdf the paradox of efforts over the past twenty years to reinvent democracy in africa has been that rather than dampening the fires of ethnic. It is not clear that ethnicity by itself generates conflict or that it. The intellectual debate on the linkage between democracy and development has witnessed some twists and turns driven by the currents of global political changes. Ethnicity and religion as sources of political division in africa. The objective of this paper was to examine various electoral malpractices and problems in africa, looking critically at suffrage, franchise and elections and the attendant problems as well as the malpractices associated with it. When the curtain rises on africa in which civilization first appeared, and the ideas of democracy first birthed, chieftaincy and kingship is found existing in all considerable states, often alongside a young, but sometimes, vibrant popular government. Ethnic diversity and economic instability in africa. Political instability in africa where the problem lies and alternative perspectives. In the 1960s and 1970s before the current democratic upsurge, the focus of debate on the connection between democracy and development was on how the latter constitutes a.
Ethnicity may be seen as the latterday version of the concept of tribalism in africa. Ethnicity, governance and stability in east and central africa objectives. The challenge to democracy in africa is not the prevalence of ethnic diversity, but the use of identity politics to promote narrow tribal. Ethnic and civic identities are therefore antithetical, and true democracy in africa will succeed only when the latter will have completely displaced the former.
Challenges and opportunities september 2011 background from the 1950s through to the 1970s, decolonization swept across africa. Ethnicity in africa download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Autocracy and conflict in africa africa center for. An introduction to african politics, this course will provide for its participants a general survey of the main issues. Its not even past william faulkner, requiem for a nun1951. The recent 2016 post election crisis in gabon12 that left scores dead seems to shows that electoral violence is an intractable phenomenon on the. The challenges of ethnicity, multiparty democracy and. The challenges of ethnicity, multiparty democracy and state.
The international institute for democracy and electoral assistance international idea is an intergovernmental organization with a mission to support sustainable democracy worldwide. Nigeria is a prime example of this, because eventually the democratic. The commitment to democracy in south african society requires every. The most brutal example of racial and ethnic conflict hindering democracy in africa came at the same time that south africa was ending apartheid. Through theoretical and empirical analyses, the contributors to ethnicity and democracy in africa refreshingly and convincingly remind us instead that ethnic attachments and democracy need not be mutually exclusive. The cumulative effect of such a misdemeanour will be, unfortunately, political uncertainty and the sharpening of ethnic politics which will, in turn, inspire the widespread disillusionment of. Ethnicity and religion as sources of political division in. Politics of ethnicity are not only unique in kenya but in many other places in africa, it is still prevalent in many parts of kenya. To date, two governments have been toppled, the taliban in afghanistan and saddam husseins regime in iraq, by savage wars of conquest reminiscent of the wars of colonization of a bygone era. Political marginalisation of kenyas nubians find, read and cite all the. Pdf ethnicity and democracy in africa researchgate. Ethnicity and democracy in africa ohio university press. A striking case is israel, which is universally accepted as a democracy, yet does not neatly fit any of the known types.
Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah gabriel sous dir. The challenges of democracy sa yearbook of international affairs, 200203 304 africa, apartheid rather than its political platform. Democracy in africa this book provides the fi rst comprehensive overview of the history of democracy in africa and explains why the continents democratic experiments have so often failed, as well as how they could succeed. This type, nicknamed ethnic democracy, will be presented and distinguished from the others. Marking the international day of democracy, these maps highlight the strong relationship between governance and conflict on the continent. Introduction it is a commonplace fact that nigeria is a multi ethnic nation state with sociocultural differences between its component ethnic groups all of which have resulted into cultural dissimilarity.
For the contributors to ethnicity and democracy in africa, it is precisely for this reason that ethnicity has proved so resilient in africa. In this endeavour, although i have given a historical overview of the media in africa, i have mainly focused on the years between 1989 and 1999, significantly, the period when africa s third wave of democracy has been gaining momentum. Muna the apparent difficulty of most african states to establish democratic societies that do not only produce multiparty political democratic systems of. Cambridge core sociology of race and ethnicity ethnicity and democracy in africa edited by bruce berman. Democracy and political participation discussion paper 1 summary 3 introduction 5 1 kenyas transition to democracy 8 2 ethnicity and democratic participation 12 3 citizenship, identity and the politics of belonging 15 4 the electoral system and political parties 19 5 concentration of power and abuse of the rule of law 21. Ethnicity and religion as sources of political division in africa john f. Africas wars since the late nineteenth century can be differentiated in. Click download or read online button to get ethnicity and democracy in africa book now. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of the history of democracy in africa and explains why the continents democratic experiments have so often failed, as well as how they could succeed. According to a fourth perspective on the salience of ethnicity and religion in africa, their relative divisiveness changes by dint of the group size.
Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah. The role of election monitoring bodies in africa 1. Ethnicity, cultural diversity and poverty are as much part of south african society as braaivleis, rugby, sunshine and chevrolet. This study evaluates the relative divisiveness of ethnicity and religion as political identities in west africa. Ethnicity and political pluralism in kenya shilaho westen kwatemba shilaho kwatemba is a phd candidate in the political studies department, university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg email. The issue of ethnicity and democratization in africa. The paradox of efforts over the past twenty years to reinvent democracy in africa has been that rather than dampening the fires of ethnic conflict, they have often made them more intense and in the past decade have been accompanied by the explosion of violent conflicts of autochthony, confrontations of sons of the soil, that threaten the very. While freedom was greeted with euphoria in many places, it could not mask the deep political instability that often accompanied independence. Ethnicity and democracy in africa ohio university press swallow.
The words braaivleis, rugby, sunshine and chevrolet come from a song in a radio and television advertisement that became very popular amongst south africans, especially the. The term tribalism has its roots in the colonial experience and was used pejoratively to denigrate africans ami things african. Berman abstract the paradox of efforts over the past twenty years to reinvent democracy in africa has been that rather than dampening the fires of ethnic conflict, they have often made them more intense and in the past decade have been accompanied by the explosion of violent conflicts of autochthony. Institute of research and postgraduate studies, maseno university college, 1996. Sebastian elischer analyzes political parties in ghana, kenya and namibia in detail, and provides a preliminary analysis of parties in seven other countries including tanzania, botswana, senegal, zambia, malawi, burkina faso and benin. This study seeks to separate out the association between negative ethnicity and poor government performance by disentangling the relationship between ethnicity and democracy.
The strong overlap of autocracy and conflict in africa underscores the strong political dimensions of africa s contemporary conflicts. U, and usher in new african union, one of the issues african leaders need to ponder over is how to balance ethnic consciousness and national patriotism in the continent. Josephs state, conflict and democracy in africa, lynne rienner, 1999 describe and critically discuss africa s third wave of democracy africa and. Violence and coercion became a common means of changing. Nubians, by samantha balaton chrimes, farnham, ashgate, 2015, 202 pp. Dilemmas of democracy and civil order in africa published on 01 jan 2007 by brill. Ethnicity, nationalism, and democracy in africa in.
Social identities and democracy in south africa abebe zegeye, ian liebenberg and gregory houston introduction the relationship between social identity and ethnicity is a thorny issue. This is a draft working paper produced for the world bank conference, new frontiers of social policy. Democracy in africa has been shaped by the colonial powers that ran africa until the period of decolonisation that began in the 1960s. As we say goodbye to the organization of african unity o. The essay is about the building of true democracies in the multiethnic, multitribal and multicultural societies that make up africa s many nationstates.
This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. Democracy in africa political changes and challenges edited by saliba sarsar julius o. Its point of departure is the understanding that the ethnicity democracy nexus, though. In the contemporary environment, africa is confronted by numerous sociopolitical and economic maladies. Brooks w hile reporting recently on his organizations annual survey of political rights and civil liberties around the world, freedom house president adrian karatnycky repeated the claimheard often in academic and public discourse alikethat ethnic diversity hinders open politics. It is the embodiment of values, institutions, and patterns of behavior, a composite whole representing a peoples. Ethnicity and democracy in africa edited by bruce berman. The author, while acknowledging the widespread view that ethnicity tends to complicate issues, fuel conflict and pose serious challenges.
The impact of nationalism on democracy is vitally important in africa, as a majority of african states have become at least nominal democracies in the last twenty years. The development advisory committee of the organization for economic cooperation and development is on record in support of participatory development, which includes democratization, improved governance, and human rights. Many of the negative forces operating in the continent have restructured peoples lives, and the manner. Many kenyans thought, perhaps wrongly, that under democracy, there should be competitive politics, that parties.
Democracy in africa is measured by a variety of indexes primarily devised by nongovernmental organisations ngos, such as freedom houses freedom in the world index, and the fraser institutes economic freedom of the world index. Adekunle carolina academic press durham, north carolina 00 sarsar adekunle final 22212 9. The challenge of ethnicity in africa ethnicity is more than skin color or physical characteristics, more than language, song, and dance. It is likely that the establishment of mechanisms that foster dialogue among different political and ethnic groups including the interparty advisory committee established in 1994 and the national and local peace councils established in 2006have. Ethnic cofiflict and democracy in nigeria 63 work, nnoli views ethnic rivalry as a product of the colonial contact situation. Bruce berman is a professor of political studies at queens university, ontario.
Ethnicity was once again given a sense of fixedness as many kenyans travelled from urban to rural areas to. Many kenyans thought, perhaps wrongly, that under democracy, there should be competitive politics, that parties would be free to. The objectives of the institute are to support stronger democratic institutions and processes, and more sustainable, effective and legitimate democracy. Ethnicity and multiparty politics in kenya by 1990 when kenyas movement towards democracy had intensified, the ruling party kanu decided to extract political mileage from ethnicity. Atieno odhiambo the dog that does not bark, or why natal did not take off. Concepts and theories 25 of treaties and the coining of money is independent of the government of the associated states, and, on the other hand, state governments which in certain matters are, in their turn, independent of the general government. Ethnicity and democracy in africa download ebook pdf, epub. Nic cheeseman grapples with some of the most important questions facing africa and democracy.
958 368 82 1017 586 983 1117 537 759 242 372 1134 1466 473 885 152 148 13 666 689 382 167 1021 283 327 1202 555 1155 1278 1234 919 557