The Illusion of the Post-Colonial State: Governance and Security Challenges in Africa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781498564625)

This book challenges the long-held conventional wisdom that Africa is a post-colonial society of sovereign nation-states despite the outward attributes of statehood: demarcated territories, permanent populations, governments, national currencies, police, and armed forces. While it is true that African nation-states have been gifted flag independence by their respective colonial masters, few have reached fully developed status as a secure nation-state. Most African nation-states have, since independence, been grappling with the crisis of state-building, nation-building, governance, and myriad security challenges which have been chronically exacerbated by the dynamics of the post-Cold War era. To focus merely on the agency of the African political elite and their inability to sustain functional modern nation-states misses the point. The central argument of the book is that an understanding of Africa's contemporary governance and security challenges requires us to historicize the discourse surrounding nation-building and state-building throughout Africa.

Author: W. Alade Fawole
ISBN-10: 1498564623
ISBN-13: 9781498564625
Publisher: Lexington Books
Language: English
Published: 08/14/2020
Pages: 254
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.58d