States and Power in Africa

by Herbst, Jeffrey

• ISBN13: 9780691010281
• ISBN10: 0691010285
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-06
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Theories of international relations, assumed to be universally applicable, have failed to explain the creation of states in Africa. There, the interaction of power and space is dramatically different from what occurred in Europe. In his groundbreaking book, Jeffrey Herbst places the African state-building process in a truly comparative perspective, examining the problem of state consolidation from the precolonial period, through the short but intense interlude of European colonialism, to the modern era of independent states. Herbst's bold contention--that the conditions now facing African state-builders existed long before European penetration of the continent--is sure to provoke controversy, for it runs counter to the prevailing assumption that colonialism changed everything. In identifying how the African state-building process differs from the European experience, Herbst addresses the fundamental problem confronting African leaders: how to extend authority over sparsely settled lands. Indeed, efforts to exert control over vast, inhospitable territories of low population density and varied environmental and geographical zones have resulted in devastating wars, millions of refugees, and dysfunctional governments perpetrating destructive policies. Detailing the precise political calculations of distinct African leaders, Herbst isolates the basic dynamics of African state development. In analyzing how these leaders have attempted to consolidate power, he is able to evaluate a variety of policy alternatives for dealing with the fundamental political challenges facing African states today.

Author Biography

Jeffrey Herbst is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(6)
PART ONE: THE CHALLENGE OF STATE-BUILDING IN AFRICA	9	(24)
The Challenge of State-Building in Africa	11	(22)
PART TWO: THE CONSTRUCTION OF STATES IN AFRICA	33	(104)
Power and Space in Precolonial Africa	35	(23)
The Europeans and the African Problem	58	(39)
The Political Kingdom in Independent Africa	97	(40)
PART THREE: NATIONAL DESIGN AND DOMESTIC POLITICS	137	(62)
National Design and the Broadcasting of Power	139	(34)
Chiefs, States, and the Land	173	(26)
PART FOUR: BOUNDARIES AND POWER	199	(50)
The Coin of the African Realm	201	(26)
The Politics of Migration and Citizenship	227	(22)
PART FIVE: CONCLUSION	249	(24)
The Past and the Future of State Power in Africa	251	(22)
Index	273