CHAPTER 1 POLSCI 144 A2

What are the three actors in the textbook's central framework

State, Civil Society, and External Interests

What is the definition of the state

A set of political institutions that govern within a delimited sovereign territory.

What is the definition of civil society

Organisations that arise out of voluntary association within society, found between the extended family and the state.

What is the definition of external interests

Foreign governments, international institutions and non-governmental organisations (including transnational corporations) that interact with African states and civic associations.

According to Max Weber, what does the state claim

A monopoly of legal violence within a territory.

Who defined ideology as a "lifeguiding system of beliefs, values and goals affecting political style and action"

Robert Putnam

What is the definition of ideology

A lifeguiding system of beliefs, values and goals affecting political style and action.

What is the definition of legitimacy

A psychological relationship between the governed and their governors which engenders a belief that the state's leaders and institutions have a right to exercise political authority over a society.

Who described Africa in Western media as "a faraway place where good people go hungry, bad people run government and chaos and anarchy are the norm"

George Alagiah

What is the central myth that the textbook aims to counter

The idea that Africa is an inherently unstable region and that Africans are innately violent, corrupt, or incapable of governing themselves.

According to the textbook, are Africans innately more violent, corrupt, or stupid than other human beings

No. They are innately no more violent, no more corrupt, no more greedy and no more stupid than any other human beings.

How many independent states are there in Africa

54

Is Africa homogeneous

No. It is extremely diverse in territory size, population, vegetation, political system, ethnicity, culture, language, and religion.

What does the textbook say about a "typical African polity"

There is no such thing as a typical African polity. Each of the 54 states is unique.

What are the three reasons the textbook gives for studying African politics

1. Comparative politics (abundance of case studies); 2. Alternative perspectives (forces you to view your own country differently); 3. Rational analysis (Africans are no more violent, corrupt, or incompetent than anyone else).

How does the textbook describe the relationship between the three actors

On the whole, it is a story of how states, civil societies and external interests have failed one another.

What happened to the state after independence

The state, starved of resources, became introverted after independence, excluding civil society from the political process.

What happened to civil society during the first few decades of independence

Civil society never really engaged the state. Citizens bypassed state authority (e.g., taxes were not paid, crops were not sold to state marketing boards).

What was the consequence of state and civil society drifting apart

State and civil society drifted apart during the first few decades of African independence.

What has improved the relationship between state and civil society since the late 1980s

A wave of multi-party elections swept the continent, initiating a process whereby state and civil society have built a more profitable relationship.

What question remains about the recalibrated balance of the three actors

Whether this recalibrated balance of state, civil society and external interests will perform better than in the past.

What are the four chronological parts of the textbook

Part 1: Introduction and historical inheritance; Part 2: Dominant African state (1960s-1970s); Part 3: Weakened African state (1980s-1990s); Part 4: Re-fashioned African state (1990s-present); Part 5: Conclusions.

How many boxed case studies are in the textbook

Eleven.

Name the eleven case studies in the textbook. Mali, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, Somalia, Ghana, DRC, Tunisia, Angola.

What is the textbook's structure

Thematically organised chapters (each focusing on a political concept) + boxed case studies (one per chapter) + chronological parts (dividing the post-colonial era into time periods).

According to the textbook, is African politics rational

Yes. African political structures are as rational as any other systems of government. If there have been more military coups in Africa than in the United States, there must be a reason.

What does the textbook say about Western media representations of Africa

Average Western views of Africa tend to be selective and not always accurate. Media selectivity and ignorance based on images of Tarzan, mud huts, and warring tribes must be left behind.

What does the textbook say about the practice of politics in Africa

The practice of politics on the African continent is not so different from political processes found elsewhere in the world. It is still about power, ideas, resource distribution and conflict resolution.

What does the textbook say about African politics compared to politics elsewhere

Africa may be a unique stage on which political transactions are carried out, but the actual processes have more similarities to, than differences from, those on other continents.

What does the textbook say about the state's nature

The state is both overdeveloped (controls the economy, dominates politics) and underdeveloped (struggles to project authority, provide services).

What does the textbook say about civil society's political activity

Political activity within civil society is diverse and competitive. Some groups cooperate with government; others voice opposition. Each group attempts to influence state decision-making.

When may citizens challenge the authority of the state

When a large gap develops between the interests of civil society and the state, with the state unresponsive to civil society demands.

What is the textbook's key question about the three actors

Will this recalibrated balance of state, civil society and external interests perform better than in the past?

What are the textbook's key features (from the preface)

Thematically organised; five-part structure; new chapter on hybrid states; coverage of 21st-century trends (China's impact, military's role, client-patron networks, Western conditionality, 'Africa rising' debate); colour presentation; boxed case studies; key terms and definitions.

What are the five key questions the textbook tackles

1. How have African states made sense of their colonial inheritance? 2. How relevant are ethnic and religious identities? 3. Why have some states collapsed and others prospered? 4. Why did the one-party state fail? 5. Why is contemporary Africa now dominated by electoral authoritarian states, and not the multi-party democracies promised in the 1990s?

Which theorist is associated with the definition of the state as claiming a "monopoly of legal violence"

Max Weber

Which theorist is associated with the concept of "imagined communities"

Benedict Anderson

What is Benedict Anderson's concept of the nation

Nations are "imagined communities" — members will never know most of their fellow-members, yet in their minds lives the image of their communion.

What does the textbook say about the state's power

The state has immense power because it claims a monopoly of legal violence within a territory. It is the only authority able to establish and upkeep society's laws.

What does the textbook say about civil society's definition

Any group organised beyond the family, but not part of the state apparatus, can be defined as part of civil society.

What does the textbook say about external interests' impact

External interests have played a major part in Africa's post-colonial political development. They have sometimes helped, sometimes hurt; provided resources, but also exploited; supported dictators, but also pressured for democracy.

What is the textbook's argument about African political processes

African political processes have more similarities to, than differences from, those on other continents.

What does the textbook say about the state's colonial legacy

The state was born weak. It inherited borders drawn by European powers at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 and institutions designed for colonial control, not democratic representation.

What does the textbook say about the state's role in the economy

The state has always been overdeveloped in some ways (it controls the economy, dominates politics).

What does the textbook say about the state's ability to provide services

The state has always been underdeveloped in some ways (it struggles to project authority into the countryside, to provide services for all citizens).