31841 - Political Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (seminar)

Academic Year 2013/2014

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in International relations and diplomatic affairs (cod. 8783)

Course contents

The course investigates the different phases of the nation-building process in Sub-Saharan Africa. The first part of the course will analyse the postcolonial state-building processes during the 1960s. The second part of the course will analyse the economic and poltical crisis since the late 1970s and the reform processes during the 1980s and the 1990s. A specific attention will be devoted to the countries of Southern Africa. The third  part of the course will analyse some cases of armed conflicts.

Readings/Bibliography

PART 1

1) State-building

Readings for all students:

1) F. Cooper, Africa since 1940. The Past of the Present, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

2) A. Pallotti, Alla ricerca della democrazia. L'Africa sub-sahariana tra autoritarismo e sviluppo, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbetino, 2013 (chapters 1, 2, 6, 7).

2) The crisis of the nation-state

Readings for all students:

1) E. Wamba-Dia-Wamba, Africa in Search of a New Mode of Politics, in H. Himmelstrand (ed.), African Perspectives on Development, London, James Currey, 1994.

2) J. Saul, "Liberal Demcoracy vs. Popular Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa, "Review of African Political Economy", vol. 24, n. 73, 1997.

3) Democratization

Readings for all students:

1) Toye, J., Structural Adjustment: Context, Assumptions, Origin and Diversity, in R. van der Hoeven & F. van der Kraaij (eds), Structural Adjustment and Beyond in Sub-Saharan Africa: Research and Policy Issues, London, James Currey, 1994.

4) Civil society, NGO, governance

Readings for presentations:

1) J. Hearn, African NGOs: The New Compradors?, Development & Change, n. 6, vol. 38, 2007 + F. Manji & C. O'Coill, The Missionary Position: NGOs and Development in Africa, International Affairs, n. 3, vol. 78, 2002.

2) M. Bratton & C. Logan, Voters but not Citizens: Democratization and Development Aid, in R. Joseph & A. Gillies (eds), Smart Aid for African Development, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 2009 + P. Lewis, Growth without Prosperity in Africa, Journal of Democracy, n. 4, vol. 19, 2008.

3)  F. Becker, ‘Rural Islamism during the “war on terrorâ€: a Tanzanian case study'. African Affairs 105 (2006) + S. Bracking, Neoclassical and Structural Analysis of Poverty: Winning the “Economic Kingdom†for the Poor in Southern Africa, Third World Quarterly, n. 5, vol. 25, 2004.

4) A. Pitcher, M. Moran & M. Johnston, Rethinking Patrimonialism and Neopatrimonialism in Africa, African Studies Review, n. 1, vol. 52, 2009.

PART 2

5) Decentralization

Readings for all students:

1) D. Olowu, Local Governance, Democracy and Development, in R. Joseph (ed), State, Conflict, and Democracy in Africa, Lynne Rienner, Boulder, 1999.

2) M. Ndulo, Decentralisation: Challenges of Inclusion and Equity in Governance, in M. Ndulo (ed), Democratic Reform in Africa. Its Impact on Governance and Poverty Alleviation, London, James Currey, 2006.

6) Decentralization: case-studies

Readings for presentations:

1) P. Francis & R. James, Balancing Rural Poverty Reduction and Citizen Participation: The Contradictions of Uganda's Decentralization Program, World Development, n. 2, vol. 31, 2003 + A. W. Wadala, The Politics of Decentralisation in Uganda, D. Asiimwe & N. Musisi (eds), Decentralisation and Transformation of Governance in Uganda, Kampala, Fountain Publishers, 2007.

2) R. Tambulasi & H. Kayuni, Decentralization Opening a New Window for Corruption: An Accountability Assessment of Malawi's Four Years of Democratic Local Governance, Journal of Asian and African Studies, n. 2, vol. 42, 2007 + Report on the Review of the National Decentralization Programme of Malawi 2001-2004.

PART 3

7) Democracy and HIV/AIDS

Readings for all students:

1) B. O'Laughlin, Questioni di genere, AIDS e migrazioni in Africa asutrale, in Afriche e Orienti, speciale 1/2009;

2) W. Masanjala, HIV/AIDS e livelihood: il cao del Malawi, in Afriche e Orienti, speciale 1/2009;

3) H. Marais, Oltre povertà e AIDS in Sudafrica, in Afriche e Orienti, speciale 1/2009.

8) Democracy and HIV/AIDS

Readings for presentations:

1) M. Aliber & C. Walker, The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Land Rights: Perspectives from Kenya, World Development, n. 4, vol. 34, 2006 + Maclean, A “New Scramble for Africaâ€: The Struggle in Sub-Saharan Africa to Set the Terms of Global Health, Round Table, n.  402, vol. 98, 2009.

2) S. Harman, Fighting HIV and AIDS: Reconfiguring the State?, Review of African Political Economy, n. 121, 2009 + H. Seckinelgin, A Global Disease and Its Governance: HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Agency of NGOs, Global Governance, n. 3, vol. 11, 2005.

PART 4

9) The land question

Readings for all students:

1) S. Berry, Debating the Land Question in Africa, Comparative Studies in Society and History n. 4, vol. 44, 2002.

2) P. Woodhouse & A. Chimhowu, Customary vs Private Property Rights? Dynamics and Trajectories of Vernacular Land Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, Journal of Agrarian Change, n. 3, vol. 6, 2006.

10) The land question

Readings for presentations:

1) C. Toulmin, Negotiating Access to Land in West Africa. Who is Losing out? in B. Derman, R. Odgaard & E. Sjaastad, Conflicts over Land and Water in Africa, London, James Currey, 2007 + L. Cotula & S. Vermeulen, Deal or no Deal: The Outlook for Agricultural Land Investment in Africa, International Affairs, n. 6, vol. 85, 2009.

2) L. Alden Wily, Reconstructing the African Commons, Africa Today, n. 1, vol. 48, 2001 + H. Bernstein, Rural Land and Land Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, in S. Moyo & P. Yeros (eds), Reclaiming the Land, London, Zed Books, 2005.

PART 5

11 & 12) Southern Africa: democracy, land and poverty

Readings for all students:

1) J. Saul, The Strange Death of Liberated Southern Africa, Transformation, n. 64, 2007.

13) South Africa

Readings for presentations:

1) H. Marais, South Africa: Limits to Change, 2nd edition, London, Zed Books, 2001, capitoli 5 e 6.

2) R. Hall, Transforming Rural South Africa? Taking Stock of Land Reform, in L. Ntsebeza & R. Hall (eds), The Land Question in South Africa, Pretoria, HSRC, 2007.

14) Mozambique

Readings for presentations:

1) A.M. Gentili, Democracy and Citizenship in Mozambique, in A. Triulzi & M. C. Ercolessi, State, Power and New Political Actors in Postcolonial Africa, Annali della Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2004.

2) B. O'Laughlin, Class and the Customary: The Ambiguous Legacy of the Indigenato in Mozambique, African Affairs, vol. 99, 2000.

15 & 16) Zimbabwe

Readings for all students:

Lloyd Sachikonye, When a State Turns Against Its Citizens, Cape Town, Jacana, 2011.

Readings for presentations:

1) S. Moyo, Three decades of agrarian reform in Zimbabwe, Journal of Peasant Studies, Volume 38, Issue 3, 2011

2) B. Raftopoulos, The Global Political agreement as "Passive Revolution": Notes on Contemporary Politics in Zimbabwe, in Round Table, n. 411, vol. 9, 2010.

17) Gender

Readings for all students:

B. O'Laughlin (2007), A Bigger Piece of a Very Small Pie: Intrahousehold Resource Allocation and Poverty Reduction in Africa, Development and Change, vol. 38, n. 1 (per tutti)  

Readings for presentations:

C. Oya, J. Sender (2009), Divorced, separated and widowed women workers in rural Mozambique, Feminist Economics, vol. 15, n. 2.


M. Hames (2006), Rights and Realities: limits to women's rights and citizenship after 10 years of democracy in South Africa, Third World Quarterly, vol. 27, n. 7.

PART 6

18) Violent conflicts

Readings for all students:

1) A.M. Gentili, Ethnicity and Citizenship in Sub Saharan Africa, in P. Chabal, U. Engel & AM Gentili (eds), Is Violence Inevitable in Africa?, Leiden, Brill, 2005.

19) Mali

Readings for presentations:

1)  H. Solomon, The African state and the failure of US counter-terrorism initiatives in Africa: The cases of Nigeria and Mali, in South African Journal of International Affairs, vol. 20, n. 3, 2013. 

2) Y. Zoubir, The Sahara-Sahel Quagmire: Regional and International Ramifications, In Mediterranean Politics, vol. 17, n. 3, 2012.

20) Democratic Republic of the Congo

Readings for presentations:

1) K. Vlassenroot, T. Raeymaekers, T he politics of rebellion and intervention in Ituri:the emergence of a new political complex?, in African Affairs, 103/412, 2004, pp. 385–412.

2) ) K. Vlassenroot, T. Raeymaekers, KIVU’S INTRACTABLE SECURITY CONUNDRUM, in African Affairs, 108/432, 2009, pp. 475–484.

  3) JOHAN POTTIER, REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHNICITY IN THE SEARCH FOR PEACE: ITURI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, in African Affairs, 109/434, 2010, pp- 23 – 50.

 

Teaching methods

Seminars and students' presentations

Assessment methods

The final grade is determined by the student's presentation (max 5/30), active participation (5/30), paper (max 6.000 words) (max 10/30), and the final oral exam on all (and only) compulsory readings (max 10/30).

Office hours

See the website of Arrigo Pallotti