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

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

PARTE 1

1) Lo formazione dello stato

 

Letture per tutti:

1) M. Mamdani, Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1996.

 

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

 

2) La crisi dello stato

 

Letture per tutti:

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.

 

3) L'attacco allo stato - quale democrazia?

 

Letture per tutti:

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) Società civile, ong, governance (4 studenti)*

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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)  B. O'Laughlin, A Bigger Piece of a Very Small Pie: Intrahousehold Resource Allocation and Poverty Reduction in Africa, Development and Change, n. 2, vol. 38, 2007 + 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.

 

 

PARTE 2

5) Il decentramento in Africa

 

Letture per tutti:

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) Decentramento: i casi nazionali (3 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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 + 3) 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.

 

 

PARTE 3

7) Democrazia e HIV/AIDS

 

Letture per tutti:

1) Aids, povertà e democrazia in Africa, Afriche e Orienti, speciale 1/2009, (intero numero)

 

8) Democrazia e HIV/AIDS (2 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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 Africa”: 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.

 

 

PARTE 4

9) La questione della terra

 

Letture per tutti:

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) Terra in Tanzania (4 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

1) S. Coldham, Land Tenure Reform in Tanzania: Legal Problems and Perspectives, Journal of Modern African Studies, n. 2, vol. 33, 1995

 

2) D. Tsikata, Securing Women's Interest within Land Tenure Reforms: Recent Debates in Tanzania, Journal of Agrarian Change, vol. 3, n. 1-2, 2003.

 

3) E. Daley, Land and Social Change in a Tanzanian Village 1: Kinyanambo in the 1990s, Journal of Agrarian Change, n. 3, vol. 5, 2005.

 

4) E. Daley, Land and Social Change in a Tanzanian Village 2: Kinyanambo in the 1990s, Journal of Agrarian Change, n. 4, vol. 5, 2005.

 

 

11) Terra – il dibattito (2 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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.

 

 

PARTE 5

12) Africa australe: democrazia, terra e lotta alla povertà

 

Letture per tutti:

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

 

2) M. Neocosmos, Neo-Liberalism Versus State Nationalism: Beyond State Thinking in Southern Africa, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, vol. 21, n. 2, 2003.

 

13) Il Sudafrica: democrazia, povertà, sviluppo (2 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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) Il Mozambico: democrazia, povertà, sviluppo (2 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

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) Zimbabwe – Mario Zamponi

 

Letture per tutti:

La lettura verrà indicata dal Prof. Zamponi.

 

 

PARTE 6

16) Le radici dei conflitti in Africa

 

Letture per tutti:

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.

 

2) P. Wilkin, Global Poverty and Orthodox Security, Third World Quarterly, vol. 23, n. 4, 2002.

 

17) Le radici dei conflitti in Africa occidentale: il caso di Liberia e Sierra Leone

 

Letture per tutti:

1) T. Lyons, Post-Cold War Conflict in West Africa, in T. Lyons & G. Khadiagala (eds), Conflict Management and African Politics, London, Routledge, 2008.

 

2) W. Reno, The Organisation of warlord politics in Liberia, in W. Reno, Warlord Politics and African States, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 1998.

 

3) W. Reno, Sierra Leone's Transition to Warlord Politics, in W. Reno, Warlord Politics and African States, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 1998.

 

18) Le radici dei conflitti in Africa: il caso del Darfur (2 studenti)

 

Letture per presentazioni:

1) R. Collins, Civil Wars in the Sudan, History Compass, n. 6, vol. 5, 2007 + J. Tubiana, Darfur: A War for Land?, in A. de Waal (ed), War in Darfur and the Search for Peace, Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University, 2007.

 

2) R. Marchal, The Unseen Regional Implications of the Crisis in Darfur, in A. de Waal (ed), War in Darfur and the Search for Peace, Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University, 2007 + A. de Waal, Darfur and the Failure of Responsibility to Protect, International Affairs, n. 6, vol. 83, 2007.

 

19) Le radici dei conflitti in Africa: il caso della Costa d'Avorio (2 studenti)  

 

Letture per presentazioni:

1) F. Akindès, Les racines de la crise militaro-politique en Côte d'Ivoire, Dakar, CODESRIA, 2004 (www.codesria.org) + C. Vidal, La brutalisation du champ politique ivoirien, 1990-2003, Revue Africaine de Sociologie, 2, 7, 2003.

 

2) S. Smith, La politique d'engagement de la France à l'épreuve de la Côte d'Ivoire, Politique africaine, n. 89, 2003 + Y. Konaté, Côte d'Ivoire : le canari d'eau de Jacques Chirac, Politique africaine, n. 97, 2005.

 

20) Le radici dei conflitti in Africa: il caso della DRC (2 studenti)

 

Letture per tutti:

1) A.M. Gentili, Congo. Da Kabila a Kabila, Afriche e Orienti, n. 1, vol. 3, 2001 + A.M. Gentili, Sovranità e democrazia. Dove va il Congo?, Afriche e Orienti, n. 1-2, vol. 6, 2004.

 

Letture per presentazioni:

1) K. Vlassenroot & T. Raeymaekers, The Politics of Rebellion and Intervention in Ituri: The Emergence of a New Political Complex?, African Affairs, n. 412, vol. 103, 2004 + K. Vlassenroot & T. Raeymaekers, Kivus Intractable Security Conandrum, African Affairs, n.432, vol.108, 2009.

 

2) International Crisis Group, Congo : cinq priorites pour une strategie durable de construction de la paix, Rapport Africque n. 150, Bruxelles, 11 mai 2009 (http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/africa/central_africa/nq_priorites_pour_une_strategie_durable_de_construction_de_la_paix.pdf).

 

 

* Si consiglia caldamente ali studenti di prepararsi cercare utili informazioni sulla storia dei paesi presi in esame durante le presentazioni tramite la lettura del numero più recente di Africa South of the Sahara e le pagine rilevanti di A.M. Gentili, Il leone e il cacciatore, Roma, Carocci, 2008.

 

Teaching methods

Seminars and students' presentations

Assessment methods

The final grade is determined by the student's presentation (max 10/30), active participation (5/30) and the final oral exam on all (and only) compulsory readings (max 15/30).

Teaching tools

Power point

Office hours

See the website of Arrigo Pallotti