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    States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control
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    States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control
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    States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control
    Ebook455 pages6 hours

    States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control

    By Jeffrey Herbst

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    About this ebook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPrinceton University Press
    Release dateMar 6, 2000
    ISBN9781400841530
    Unavailable
    States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control
    Author

    Jeffrey Herbst

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    • 4/5
      It will be much easier to follow if you have a basic understanding of African geography (i.e. major cities, which countries were whose colonies, etc.) but - having that - this lays out a rather deep concept in a straightforward way. Herbst's assertion that there's more to contemporary African states than their colonial legacies goes against the common narrative, but the evidence laid out is comprehensive and shows that things are more complicated than they seem.