Spring 2001                                                                                                     410 Lehman, Barnard
Tu/Th 9-10-10:25                                                                           lbeck@barnard.columbia.edu
Office Hours: Tues. 10:30-11:30 and by appointment                                                 854-3779

SYLLABUS FOR SYMPOSIUM ON AFRICAN POLITICS

REQUIREMENTS

A. Papers: Students will be required to write three short papers for this class. The first two essays (25% each) will be on assigned topics based on the lectures and readings for the course. Students will be expected to supplement the readings with several additional sources on a specific African country of their choice. Hopefully, these sources will help you prepare to write your final paper (40%) which will be on a topic you select in consultation with the instructor.  Students must submit a one-page statement of their proposed topic on any aspect of African politics along with a short bibliography by 15 February.

B. Class Participation (10%): As the symposium style of the course is intended to combine lectures with in-class discussion, student participation is required. Prior to each discussion, students will be expected to contribute brief comments (1-2 paragraphs) on the assigned texts to the on-line bulletin board at https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/bboard/011/pols4496-001

C. Map Quiz: Attached to the syllabus is a copy of a political map of Africa.  There will be a map quiz in which you will be asked to identify each African country.  The goal of this exercise is to familiarize you with the political geography of Africa which will aid in your understanding of the readings and class discussion. Students must pass the quiz before the first paper is due.

BOOKS FOR RECOMMENDED FOR PURCHASE

The following books are available at Labyrinth Bookstore. These and all other readings are on reserve at Barnard's Wollman Library and SIPA’s Lehman Library.

C. Achebe. Man of the People (Anchor, 1989)

C. Ake. Democracy and Development in Africa (Brookings, 1996)

S. N. Grovogui. Sovereigns, Quasi Sovereigns, and Africans (Minnesota, 1996)

J. Herbst. States and Power in Africa (Princeton, 2000)

H. Howe. Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States (L Rienner, 2000)

M. Mamdani. Citizen and Subject (Princeton, 1996)

P.T. Mkandawire and C. Soludo. Our Continent, Our Future: African Perspectives on             Structural Adjustment (Africa World Press, 1998)

W. Reno. Warlord Politics and African Politics (L Rienner, 1998)

World Bank. Intensifying Action Against HIV/Aids in Africa (World Bank, 2000)

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Introduction: Afro-Pessimism and Afro-Optimism

E. Gyimah-Boadi. 1998. "The Rebirth of African Liberalism," Journal of Democracy. 18-31

O. Owomoyela. 1994. "With Friends like these..." African Studies Review. 77-102.

D. Rieff. 1998/99. “In Defense of Afro Pessimism,” World Policy Journal. 10-12

Recommended Reading:
M. Chege. 1994. “What’s Right with Africa?” Current History.
S. Ellis. 2000. "Reporting on Africa," Current History. 221-26.
R. Kaplan. 1994. “The Coming Anarchy,” Atlantic Monthly.
V.Y. Mudimbe. 1988. "Discourse of Power and Knowledge of Otherness," Invention of Africa. 1-23.

I. Post-Independence Africa: Strong State, Weak State

Africa's Colonial Legacy

M. Mamdani. 1996. Citizen and Subject. esp. 3-61, 285-301.

J. Herbst. 2000. States and Power in Africa.

Recommended Reading:
P. Curtin. 1995. African History: From Earliest Times to Independence.
R. Oliver and J.D. Fage. 1990. A Short History of Africa.
B. Freund. 1984. The Making of Contemporary Africa.
B. Davidson. 1992. Black Man's Burden.
C. Young. 1994. The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective.

Decolonization: Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and The OAU

J. Busumtwi-Sam. “Redefining ‘Security’ after the Cold War,” Civil Wars in Africa.

S. N. Grovogui. 1996. Sovereigns, Quasi Sovereigns, and Africans. esp. 1-11, 179-208.

R. Jackson and C. Rosberg. 1982. "Why Africa's Weak States Persist," World Politics. 1-24.

The Patrimonial State and Ethnopolitics

C. Achebe. 1989. Man of the People.

B. Berman. 1998. "Ethnicity, Patronage and the African State," African Affairs, 97(38) 305-341.

M. Ibelema. 2000. "Nigeria: The Politics of Marginalization" Current History.

J.P. Olivier de Sardan. 1999. "A Moral Economy of Corruption in Africa?" J. of Modern African Studies, 37 (1) 25-52.

Recommend Reading:
L. Diamond (editor). 1997. Transition without End: Nigerian Politics. and Civil Society under Babangida.
In P. Lewis (ed). 1998. Africa: Dilemmas of Development and Change.
     R. Jackson and C. Rosberg. "Personal Rule: Theory and Practice in Africa," 17-43.
     R. Joseph. "Class, State and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria" 44-63.
     P. Ekeh. "Colonialism and the Two Publics in Africa," 87-109.
K. Maier. 2000. This House Has Fallen. Ch 1.
J. Umoren. 1996. Democracy and Ethnic Diversity in Nigeria. Especially chs. 6 and 7.
S. Wright. 1998. “Identity, Society and Nation,” Nigeria.

Authoritarianism Restored

S. Decalo. 1998. "Idi Amin," Psychoses of Power: African Personal Dictatorships. 115-186.

C. Young and T. Turner. 1985. The Rise and the Decline of the Zairian State. 185-220

Recommended Reading:
J-F Bayart. 1999. The Criminalization of the State in Africa.
S. Decalo. 1998. Civil-Military Relations in Africa.
L. Diamond and Plattner. 1996. Civil-Milt Relations and Democracy.
O. Amaza Ondoga. 1995.Museveni's long march : from guerrilla to statesman.

Collapsed States and The Rise of Warlord Politics

M. McNulty. 1999. "The Collapse of Zaire: Implosion, Revolution or External Sabotage?" J. of Modern African Studies. 53-82.

W. Reno. 1998. Warlord Politics and African States. 1-78, 147-83.

I.W. Zartman (ed). 1995. "Introduction," Collapsed States. 1-14.

Recommended Reading:
R. Lemarchand. 2000. "The Crisis in the Great Lakes," Africa in World Politics. 324-352.
F. Ngolet. 2000. “African and American Connivance in Congo-Zaire,” Africa Today 47(2): 64-85.
E. O'Balance. 2000. The Congo-Zaire Experience.
M. Schatzberg. 1988. The Dialectics of Oppression.

Alternative Paths toward (Re)establishing a Political Community

N. Kasfir. 1998. "'No-Party Democracy' in Uganda," Journal of Democracy. [pp?]

L. Thompson. 1999. "Mbeki's Uphill Challenge," Foreign Affairs. 78(6) 83-95.

P. van Zul 1999. "Dilemmas of Transnational Justice: The Case of South Africa's TRC" Journal of International Affairs (52).

S. Dicklitch. 1995/96. “Uganda: A Microcosm of Crisis and Hope in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Intl Journal. 103-125.

Recommended Reading:
K. Asmal et al. 1996. Reconciliation Through Truth.
H. Ball 1999. Prosecuting War Crimes and Genocide.
D. Goodman. 1999. Fault Lines: Journeys into the New South Africa.
H.B. Hansen and M. Twaddle. 1998. Developing Uganda.
W. James et al (ed.) 1996. Now that We are Free.
J. Kiyaga-Nsubuga. 2000. "Managing Political Change: Uganda under Museveni," Civil Wars in Africa. 13-34.
A. Krog. 1998. Country of My Skull.
S. Marks. 2000. Watching the Wind.
K. Wiredu. 1997. "Democracy and Consensus in African Traditional Politics: A Plea for a Non-Party
Polity" in Postcolonial African Philosophy. 303-312.

* First Paper: Debate on the Colonial Legacy

RESOLVED: Despite four decades of independence, the legacy of the colonial state continues to adversely influence the political development of African states.

II. AFRICA'S ECONOMIC CRISIS

Africa's Debt Crisis: Internal vs. External Explanations

C. Ake. 1996. Democracy and Development in Africa.1-41.

C. Pratt. 1999. "Julius Nyerere: Reflections on the Legacy of his Socialism" Canadian Journal of African Studies. 33(1)

P. Englebert. 2000. “Accounting for Africa’s Development Crisis,” State Legitimacy and Development in Africa.

Recommended Reading:
R. Bates. 1981. Markets in Africa
M.B. Brown. 1995. "Africa Must Unite," Africa's Choices. 119-134.
R. Browne and R. Cummings. 1985. Lagos Plan of Action vs. Berg Report.
T. Callaghy and J. Ravenhill. 1993. Hemmed In..
G. Hyden. 1971. Beyond Ujamaa.
R. Klitgaard. 1990. Tropical Gangsters: One Man's Experience with Development and Decadence in Deepest Africa.
S. Rugumamu. Lethal Aid: The Illusion of Socialism and Self-Reliance in Tanzania.
R. Sandbrook. 1993. The Politics of Africa's Economic Recovery.

The Impact of Structural Adjustment: Economic Recovery or Impoverishment?

P. Chabal and J-P Daloz. 1999. “The Bounties of Dependence,” Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument.

P.T. Mkandawire and C. Soludo. 1998. Our Continent, Our Future.

B. Sadasivam. 1997. “The Impact of Structural Adjustment on Women: A Governance and

Human Rights Agenda,” Human Rights Quarterly. 19(3).

J. Sanford. 1998. “Africa’s Debt Burden: Proposals for Further Forgiveness,” Promoting

US Economic Relations in Africa.

Recommended Reading:
N. Amponsah. “Ghana’s Mixed Structural Adjustment Results: Explaining the Poor Private Sector Response,” Africa Today 47(2) 8-32.
S. Devarajan et al. 2000 Aid and Reform in Africa.
D. Elson. 1995. “Male Bias in Macro-Economics: The Case of Structural Adjustment,” Male Bias in the Development Process.
J. Nelson (ed.) 1989. Fragile Coalitions: The Politics of Economic Adjustment.
S. Schatz. 1996. "The World Bank's Fundamental Misconception in Africa," J. of Modern African Studies. 34(2) 239-47.
J. Thacker. 2000. "The High Politics of IMF Lending?" World Politics.
L. Udall. 1998. “The World Bank and Public Accountability: Has Anything Changed?” The Struggle for Accountability.
N. van de Walle. 1999. "Aid's Crisis of Legitimacy: Current Proposals and Future Prospects," African Affairs (98) 337-352.
World Bank. 2000. Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?

Sustainable Development & Polt.l Reform: Good Governance and Democratization in Africa

C. Ake. 1996. Democracy and Development in Africa. 124-160.

T. Mkandawire. 1995. "Adjustment, Political Conditionality and Democratization in Africa," in Democratization Processes in Africa. 81-99.

M. Ottaway and T. Chung. 1999. "Toward a New Paradigm," Journal of Democracy. 99-113.

N. van de Walle and T. Johnston. 1998. “Improving Aid to Africa,” Promoting US Economic Relations with Africa.

Recommended Reading:
M. Bratton and N. van de Walle. Democratic Experiments in Africa.
P. Chabal and J-P Daloz. 1999. Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrumental.
L. Diamond and M. Plattner. Democratization in Africa.
G. Hyden and M. Bratton. 1992. Governance and Politics in Africa.
M. Ottoway (ed). 1997. Democracy in Africa: The Hard Road Ahead
M. Ottoway. 1999. Africa's New Leaders: Democracy or State Reconstruction?
A. Tripp. 2000. “Anatomy of a Deception,” Women & Politics in Uganda. 197-215.

Societal Responses to Crisis in Africa

M. Bratton. 1994. "Civil Society and Political Transition in Africa," Civil Society and the State in Africa. 51-82.

M. Mamdani. 1995. "A Critique of the State and Civil Society Paradigm in Africanist Studies," African Studies in Social Movements and Democracy. pp. 602-616.

S. MacLean, F. Quadir and T. Shaw. 2000 “Structural Adjustment and the Response of Civil Society in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe” Globalization and the Politics of Resistance.

A. Tripp. 1997. Changing the Rules.

Recommended Reading:
M.B. Brown. 1995. "The Informal, Second Economy," Africa's Choices: 217-238.
P. Geschiere. 1997. The Modernity of Witchcraft.
J. Harbeson et al (eds.) 1994. Civil Society and the State in Africa
T. Shaw, S. MacLean and M Nzomo. 2000.”Going beyond states and markets to civil societies” Strange Power.
Thomas-Slayter and Asamba. 1995. Gender, Environment and Development in Kenya.

* Second Paper: Simulation of Economic Policy Negotiation

After reading the case study of a factious African country, ‘Abazonia’, students are to submit a position paper based on their designated role as a member of the international donor community, the government of Abazonia, or its civil society. Under the leadership of the President of Abazonia, the country’s economic policy will then be negotiated during an in-class conference.

III. WORLD POLITICS IN AFRICA\AFRICANS IN WORLD POLITICS

Conflict Resolution & Peacekeeping in Post-Cold War

H. Howe. 1998. "Private Security Forces and African Stability: Executive Outcomes," J of Modern Afr Studies. pp. 307-331.

A. Kuperman. 1996. "The Other Lesson of Rwanda: Mediators Sometimes do More Damage than Good," Sais Review.

D. Rothchild. 2000. "The Impact of US Disengagement on Afr Intrastate Conflict Resolution," in Afr in World Polt. 160-187.

Recommended Reading:
Alao et al. 1999. Peacekeepers, Politicians and Warlords: The Liberian Peace Process.
H. Campbell. 1999. "Liberation, Genocide and Military Entrepreneurs in Africa," Canadian Journal of African Studies.
Dulany and Savage 1998. Promoting US Economic Relations with Africa
E. Dunn. 1999. "The Civil War in Liberia," in Civil Wars in Africa. 89-122.
J. Herbst. 2000. "Western and African Peacekeepers: Motives and Opportunities," in Africa in World Politics. pp. 308-323.
J. Herbst. 1998. "African Armies and Regional Peacekeeping" in War and Peace in Southern Africa. 231-249.
H. Howe. 2000. Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States.
T. Lyons. 1998. "Can Neighbors Help? Regional Actors and African Conflict Management," African Reckoning. 67-100.
G. Mills and J. Stremlau. 1999. The Privatization of Security in Africa.
P. Omach. 2000. "ACRI: Domestic Politics and the Convergence of National Interests," African Affairs. (99) pp. 73-95.
P. Schraeder. 1996. US Foreign Policy Toward Africa.

* Documentary on Peace-Keeping in Sierra Leone

            Due to the violent, disturbing nature of this film, this class will be optional.

Human Rights in Africa

Human Rights Watch. World Report 1999. Case study(s) assigned based on current Human Rights Advocates at Columbia

S. James. 1998. "Shades of Othering: Reflections on Female Circumcision/Genital Mutilation," Signs. 23 (4).

B. Shell-Duncan and Y. Hernlund. 2000. Female “Circumcision” in Afr: Culture, Controversy and Change. Chs. 1, 14.

Recommended Reading:
L. Burstyn. 1995. “Health: Female Circumcision comes to America,” Atlantic Monthly. 276(4) 28-35.
I. Gunning. 1992. "Arrogant Perception, World Traveling and Multicultural Feminism: The Case of Female Genital Surgeries," Columbia Human Rights Law Review.
B. Robertson. 1996. "Grassroots in Kenya: Women, Genital Mutilation, and Collective Action, 1920-1990. Signs.
USAID. 1999. "Female Genital Cutting: The Facts and the Myths," at www.measurecommunication.org/topics/fgc_symposium

* Panel of African Human Rights Advocates

Globalization and The New African Diaspora

A. Gordon. 1995. “The New Diaspora: African Immigration to the United States,” Journal of Third World Studies. 79-103.

J. MacGaffey and R.B. Ganga. 2000. Congo-Paris: Transnatl Traders on Margins of Law.. 28-49, 107-136, 165-172.

Recommended Reading:
K. Apraku.1996. Outside Looking In.
Attah-Poku, Agyeman. 1996. The Socio-Cultural Adjustment Question: The Role of Ghanian Immigrant Ethnic Associations in America.
J. D’Alisera.1997. “The Transnational Search for Muslim Identity: Sierra Leoneans in America’s Capital,” Anthropology. 
N. Foner. 2000. From Ellis Island to JFK.
T. Manuh. 1998. “Ghanaians, Ghanaian Canadians, and Asantes: Citizenship and Identity among Migrants in Toronto,” Africa Today 45(3-4): 481-494.
D. Perry. 1997. “Rural Ideologies and Urban Imaginings: Wolof Immigrants in New York City,” Africa Today 44(20) 229-260.
M. Piel. 1995. “Ghanaians Abroad,” African Affairs (94): 345-67.
A. Portes et al. 1999. Special Edition of Ethnic and Racial Studies on Transnationalism.
J. Rubin. 1999. Results of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program www.travel.state.gov
B. Selassie.1996. “Washington’s New African Immigrants,” Urban Odyssey. 
P. Stoller. 1996. “Spaces, Places and Fields:  The Politics of West African Trading in New York City’s Informal Economy,” American Anthropologist 98(4) 776-788
P. Wamba. 1999. Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa and America.

* Dinner and a Movie on African Transnationals: To be Scheduled at Professor’s Home

            “The Legacy of Oumar Dia”

The International Politics of the African Aids Crisis

Recommended Reading:
G. Williams et al 1997. A Common Cause: Young People, Sexuality, HIV and AIDS in Three African Countries
J. Mann and D. Tarantola. 1996. AIDS in the World II.
M. Steffen. 1996. The Fight against AIDS: An International Public Policy Comparison between 4 European Countries.

* Panel of Aids Activists Working with Africans in the US and Africa

            * Final Paper Due on the Last Day of Classes *