The African Affairs Reader: Key Texts in Politics, Development, and International Relations

African Affairs is the top journal in African Studies and has been for some time. This book draws together some of the most influential, important, and thought provoking articles published in its pages over the last decade. In doing so, it collates essential cutting-edge research on Africa and makes it easily available for students, teachers, and researchers alike. The African Affairs Reader is broken down into four sections that cover some of the biggest themes and questions facing the continent today, including: the African State, the Political Economy of Development, Africa's Relationship with the World, and Elections, Representation & Democracy. Within each section, articles deal with some of the most significant recent trends and events, such as the prospects for democratization in Ghana and Nigeria, the factors underpinning Rwanda's economic success, the rise of political corruption in South Africa, the spread of the drugs trade, the struggle against gender based violence, and the growing influence of China. Each section is introduced by a new purpose-written essay by the journal's editors that explains the evolution of the wider debate, highlights key contributions, and suggests new ways in which the discussion can be taken forward. Taken together, the essays and articles included in the volume provide both a coherent introduction to the study of Africa and a compelling commentary on the current state of play on the continent. Contributors to this volume - Deborah Brautigam, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Catherine Boone, London School of Economics and Political Science David Booth, Overseas Development Institute Nic Cheeseman, University of Oxford Frederick Cooper, New York University Carl Death, University of Manchester Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, University of South Africa Ben Lampert, The Open University Tom Lodge. University of Limerick Peace Medie, University of Ghana Tim Murithi, University of the Free State Giles Mohan, The Open University J. Shola Omotola, National Institute for Legislative Studies Anja Osei, University of Konstanz Stefano Ponte, Copenhagen Business School Mark Shaw, University of Cape Town Crawford Young, University of Wisconsin Lindsay Whitfield, Roskilde University