Description
Explore the profound analysis of post-independence African politics with 'Citizen and Subject' by Mahmood Mamdani, an essential read that delves deep into the complex legacy of colonialism. This influential work highlights the bifurcated power structure that emerged from colonial rule, which left enduring impacts on racial and ethnic identities. Mamdani's critical examination illustrates how indirect and direct forms of governance fostered a despotism that fragmented societal cohesion. By offering a bold critique, the book sheds light on the implications of colonialism for contemporary African governance and democratization efforts.
This insightful trade paperback, published by Princeton University Press in 2018, serves as a vital resource for students, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the historical and political intricacies of Africa. Through compelling case studies from Uganda and South Africa, the author reveals how states manipulate reform and repression, complicating the struggle for democracy across the continent. With its rich narrative, 'Citizen and Subject' not only reassesses colonial governance structures but also invites critical discourse on the future of democracy in Africa. Gain valuable insights into institutional power dynamics and discover why reforming these systems is pivotal for the continent's democratic aspirations.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9780691180427. Format: Trade paperback (US). Year: 2018. Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691180427
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2018
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
In analyzing the obstacles to democratization in post- independence Africa, Mahmood Mamdani offers a bold, insightful account of colonialism's legacy--a bifurcated power that mediated racial domination through tribally organized local authorities, reproducing racial identity in citizens and ethnic identity in subjects. Many writers have understood colonial rule as either "direct" (French) or "indirect" (British), with a third variant--apartheid--as exceptional. This benign terminology, Mamdani shows, masks the fact that these were actually variants of a despotism. While direct rule denied rights to subjects on racial grounds, indirect rule incorporated them into a "customary" mode of rule, with state-appointed Native Authorities defining custom. By tapping authoritarian possibilities in culture, and by giving culture an authoritarian bent, indirect rule (decentralized despotism) set the pace for Africa; the French followed suit by changing from direct to indirect administration, while apartheid emerged relatively later. Apartheid, Mamdani shows, was actually the generic form of the colonial state in Africa.
Through case studies of rural (Uganda) and urban (South Africa) resistance movements, we learn how these institutional features fragment resistance and how states tend to play off reform in one sector against repression in the other. The result is a groundbreaking reassessment of colonial rule in Africa and its enduring aftereffects. Reforming a power that institutionally enforces tension between town and country, and between ethnicities, is the key challenge for anyone interested in democratic reform in Africa.
This insightful trade paperback, published by Princeton University Press in 2018, serves as a vital resource for students, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the historical and political intricacies of Africa. Through compelling case studies from Uganda and South Africa, the author reveals how states manipulate reform and repression, complicating the struggle for democracy across the continent. With its rich narrative, 'Citizen and Subject' not only reassesses colonial governance structures but also invites critical discourse on the future of democracy in Africa. Gain valuable insights into institutional power dynamics and discover why reforming these systems is pivotal for the continent's democratic aspirations.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9780691180427. Format: Trade paperback (US). Year: 2018. Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691180427
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2018
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
In analyzing the obstacles to democratization in post- independence Africa, Mahmood Mamdani offers a bold, insightful account of colonialism's legacy--a bifurcated power that mediated racial domination through tribally organized local authorities, reproducing racial identity in citizens and ethnic identity in subjects. Many writers have understood colonial rule as either "direct" (French) or "indirect" (British), with a third variant--apartheid--as exceptional. This benign terminology, Mamdani shows, masks the fact that these were actually variants of a despotism. While direct rule denied rights to subjects on racial grounds, indirect rule incorporated them into a "customary" mode of rule, with state-appointed Native Authorities defining custom. By tapping authoritarian possibilities in culture, and by giving culture an authoritarian bent, indirect rule (decentralized despotism) set the pace for Africa; the French followed suit by changing from direct to indirect administration, while apartheid emerged relatively later. Apartheid, Mamdani shows, was actually the generic form of the colonial state in Africa.
Through case studies of rural (Uganda) and urban (South Africa) resistance movements, we learn how these institutional features fragment resistance and how states tend to play off reform in one sector against repression in the other. The result is a groundbreaking reassessment of colonial rule in Africa and its enduring aftereffects. Reforming a power that institutionally enforces tension between town and country, and between ethnicities, is the key challenge for anyone interested in democratic reform in Africa.