Africa: An Introduction to History, Politics and Society

Description

The textbook provides an in-depth overview of African history and politics from the Atlantic slave trade, through the phases of colonialism and decolonization, to the development problems of the present. Various development theories are used to explain successful and failed development paths of individual countries after 1960. Thematic foci include Europe's colonial legacy, state formation and state failure, democratization, the curse of raw materials, population growth, hunger and poverty, ethnic conflicts, and the roles of the World Bank, EU, and China as external actors in Africa. Preface References Contents Abbreviations Introduction 1.1 Explanation of the Structure and Content of the Textbook 1.2 Africa-Europe´s Neighbour 1.3 References to the Literature on Africa: Introductory Notes Developmental Theories at a Glance 2.1 Introduction to the History of the Concept of Development 2.2 Theories of Economic Growth and Modernization 2.3 Dependency Theories and Theory of Auto-Centered Development 2.4 Socialist Theories of Catch-Up Development 2.5 Bielefeld Interdependence Approach and Gender-Studies 2.6 Good Governance and Washington Consensus 2.7 Theory of Sustainable Development: Sustainable Development 2.8 Theory of the Developmental State 2.9 Theories on ``Resource Curse´´ and ``Rentier State´´ 2.10 Cultural Critical Theories of Development: Culture Matters 2.11 Empowerment, Self-Efficacy and ``Cultural Adaptation´´ 2.12 Microcredit: A Recipe Against Poverty? 2.13 Post-colonial Approaches and Post-development Approaches 2.14 Conclusion: Development-The Discussion Continues Tasks The Legacy of the Slave Trade and Colonialism 3.1 Five Phases of African History 3.2 Colonial History and Eurocentrism 3.3 Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Abolition Tasks The Phase of Formal Colonization (1880-1960) 4.1 The Berlin Conference 1884/5 4.2 Motives and Interests of European Colonialism 4.3 Britain as a Colonial Power: `Divide and Conquer´ 4.4 South Africa: Diamond and Gold Mining, `Boer Wars´ 4.5 France as a Colonial Power: Main Features of Its African Policy 4.6 France´s Aberration in Algeria Germany as a Colonial Power in Africa 5.1 Notes on the Study of German Colonial Rule 5.2 German Colonial Rule 5.3 German South West Africa/Namibia 5.4 German East Africa/Tanzania 5.5 `Rational Colonial Policy´: The Dernburg Reform Era Tasks Decolonization as Liberation: Continuities and Change 6.1 Global Drivers of Decolonization: World Wars, Pan-Africanism 6.2 Continuity and Change of the Postcolonial State 6.3 Ghana: The Struggle for Political Independence Tasks African Socialism 7.1 Socialist Experiments 7.2 Tanzania: Theory and Practice of Ujamaa Socialism 7.3 Conclusion: Learning Processes and Development Successes Tasks State Formation and State Disintegration 8.1 The Weak State: Social Spaces of Limited Statehood 8.2 Governance Performance of African Countries (Table 8.1) 8.3 Somalia: State Collapse and Islamist Terror 8.4 Zimbabwe: Self-Staged State Terror 8.5 Rwanda: Genocide and a New Beginning for the State 8.6 Conclusion: Politicized Ethnicity Tasks Democratisation: Democracy Under Conditions of Poverty 9.1 Democracy and Development: Theoretical Findings 9.2 The SKOG Model by Schubert and Tetzlaff 9.3 The Renaissance of Political Parties 9.4 Benin: Successful Democratic Transition 9.5 Burkina Faso: Military in Power (Thomas Sankara) 9.6 Ghana: on the Way to Consolidated Democracy 9.7 Ethiopia: Cultural Boundaries for Democratization 9.8 Balance: Elections and Political Parties Tasks Population Growth, Poverty, Hunger 10.1 Population Growth and Theory of Demographic Transition 10.2 Niger: A Muslim Country in the Poverty-Population Trap 10.3 Agrarian Modernization and Land Grabbing in Ethiopia 10.4 Family Planning: A Developmental Imperative Tasks Resource Wealth: Curse or Blessing? 11.1 The Paradox of Plenty: Countries in Possession of Coltan, Uranium, Iron, Bauxite 11.2 Shadow Sides of the Boom of Raw Materials: Displacement of Food Production 11.3 The Oil State of Gabon: An Example of a Neocolonial Rentier State 11.4 Nigeria: The Turbulent History of an Oil State 11.4.1 Nigeria: A Difficult Country to Govern 11.4.2 Nigeria: Struggles Over Oil Rents 11.4.3 Nigeria: A `Strategic Conflict Analysis´ 11.5 Botswana: Resource Management Instead of the `Resource Curse´ 11.5.1 Democratic Continuity 11.5.2 Botswana: A Model of Sustainable Development? 11.6 The International Fight Against `Blood Diamonds´ Discussion War and Peace: Causes of War and Peace Efforts 12.1 Wars in Postcolonial Africa 12.2 Women: Victims of War and Political Insecurity (Gender Research) 12.3 The African Union: A Pan-African Organisation in Transition 12.4 Mali: The Vicious Circle of Rebellion and Broken Promises of the State 12.5 Conclusion: Peace in Africa Through External Intervention Powers? Tasks Corruption and Bad Governance 13.1 Corruption: A Universal Evil with Culture-Specific Contexts 13.2 Kenya: The Cancer of Political Corruption (1963-2017) 13.3 South Africa: Strong Economy, Weak State Discussion International Development Cooperation in Africa 14.1 Strategic Partnerships 14.2 The Development Policy of the European Union (EU) 14.3 The World Bank´s Development Policy 14.4 China in Africa: Its Five Currencies of Power Discussion Summary and Outlook: Development Policy Perspectives 15.1 Africa as a Fragmented Continent: Seven Regional Worlds 15.2 Africa: A Country Typology 15.3 Findings and Development Perspectives References