State and society in Africa: Images and challenges

Naomi Chazan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Political processes in Africa display a complex image of governmental enfeeblement, growing societal activity beyond the reach of the state and heterogeneous forms of political reordering. State institutions in Africa have undergone a cycle of attempted consolidation, the entrenchment of hegemonic domination and deterioration, if not disintegration. The combination of centralization, proliferation, personalization and social inequality has, all contributors concur, severely hampered the effectiveness of the state machinery in many parts of the continent. The whittling away of the pre-eminence of state institutions perforce redirects attention away from the central arena and to other, usually subnational, units of socioeconomic and political exchange. The deterioration of formal institutional networks and the assertion of a variety of survival mechanisms together have implied adaptations in the form of political relations. Many observers of the African political arena have expressed genuine frustration over their inability to pinpoint processes and explain their progression.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Precarious Balance
Subtitle of host publicationState and Society In Africa
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages325-341
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9781000233063
ISBN (Print)9780367295318
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 1988 Taylor & Francis.

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