Department of Political Science, McGill University
POLI 324-001: African Politics
Winter 2017
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Mohamed Sesay
EMAIL: [email protected]
CLASS HOURS:
M/W/F: 11:35AM-12:25PM
VENUE: LEA 26
OFFICE HOURS:
TH: 3-4:00PM (or by appointment)
OFFICE: ICAMES (3465 Peel), room 304
Course description
This course offers a broad overview of politics, society and economic development in sub-Saharan
Africa. The course is divided into four parts, each comprising thematic issues and case studies. Part 1 is
an analysis of the role that pre-colonial and colonial legacies have played in shaping state formation and
particular forms of political rule in Africa. Specifically, we will examine the impact of colonial rule on
subsequent processes of state formation and national identity construction. Part 2 focuses on the postcolonial period to explore a number of state-society relations including authoritarian rule, democratic
transition, economic liberalization, and identity politics. Here, we also explore how shifts in global
economic configurations are re-shaping political and economic developments in Africa, focusing on the
expansion of informal economies and the resilience of traditional authorities (particularly, chieftaincy).
Part 3 analyzes political disorder, armed conflict and reconstruction. The focus is on rebel insurgencies
and mass atrocities as an extreme form of the politicization of identity. In terms of variation in the
nature and trajectory of armed conflicts, this part of the course will ask why are some countries in Africa
transitioning from war to peace whereas others remain caught up in persistent relapse and escalation.
In addition, we will examine the challenges and prospects of post-conflict reconstruction in Africa. Part 4
concludes with an analysis of significant trends that have emerged in Africa since the beginning of the
21st century. These include the “new scramble for Africa” following the rise of China and India as global
powers, the global war against terrorism, and attempts to re-legitimise African states. Other significant
issues relate to the International Criminal Court’s increasing attention on African leaders, and ongoing
impacts of recent pandemics (HIV/AIDS and Ebola). In this final part, we ask whether these issues are
new or simply offshoots of older unresolved problems that feed off newer contexts.
Case studies: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Botswana, Congo DRC, and Somalia
Required text book
Alex Thompson. An Introduction to African Politics. 4th ed. London: Routledge, 2016.
This text is available for purchase at the university bookstore. There are three copies on reserve for 3
hours at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library as well as an electronic version which can only be
accessed through McGill Library. This book has earlier editions but be sure to use the 4th edition as there
are significant changes in this recent version.
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Resources on African politics
You are encouraged to utilize other sources on contemporary African politics in order to be up-to-date
with politics and current events affecting the region. There are periodicals, newsletters, quarterly
journals, and research centers such as AfroBarometer, Africa Power & Politics, African Affairs, Africa
Contemporary Record, Africa Confidential, Africa Research Bulletin, African Studies Review, Africa Today,
Comparative Politics, and Canadian Journal of African Studies.
News and information sources available online include the following:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/default.stm
http://allafrica.com
http://www.africanews.org
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/africa/
http://www.afrika.no/
http://www.africapoliticsonline.com/
Course requirements and grade distribution
Requirements
In-class midterm examination
Research paper (4-5000 words)
Final examination
Conference attendance & participation
Dates
20 February
31 March
TBA
On-going
Grade
20%
25%
40%
15%
Conference Presentation and participation
Conferences have been set up specifically to discuss case studies in a small group. There will be seven (7)
sessions, one for each case study, beginning on the week of January 23rd. Each conference will have no
more than 25 students. In addition to participating in the group discussion, you will have an opportunity
to deliver a 10-15 minute case study found in Alex Thompson’s An Introduction to African Politics. The
presentation should summarise the main characteristics of that case, identify aspects which are relevant
to the week’s theme, and examine limitations of the chapter in relation to other materials covered for
that theme. In the discussion that follows, members of the presenting group (especially those who did
not present) must be prepared to respond to questions about the case study. Before the first conference
you would be placed in a group of 3 and be informed about the date of your presentation. TAs will
facilitate the small group presentation and subsequent discussion. Your attendance and participation in
conferences will be assessed over 15% of the overall course grade.
Research paper
This research paper allows you to use a case study to analyze a specific research topic related to postcolonial state-society relations, political disorder, or state reconstruction. Research papers must be
submitted via myCourses on March 31st. Late papers will be accepted until April 7th (at a penalty of 1.0
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mark out of 25 for each day late). Late submission without a penalty is possible only for documented
medical reasons (or equivalent family matters). The full requirements of this paper will be in separate
handout provided by early February and TAs will discuss these guidelines and instructions during
conferences of the week beginning March 5th. They will also let you know their office hours for further
consultations about the research paper as well as other aspects of the course that seem unclear to you.
Course schedule and readings
You are expected to participate by attending ALL lectures, having done the assigned readings. Other
reading materials for this course can be found on myCourses.
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND


Themes
&
Readings
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African politics, Chapter 1
2. Carlos Lopes, “Diagnosing African politics,” Transformation: Critical Perspectives on
Southern Africa 90 (2016): 97-110
3. Binyavanga Wainanianga, “How to write about Africa,” Granta, 92 (2005)
PART ONE
PRE-COLONIAL & COLONIAL LEGACIES

Themes
&
Readings
Overview of course outline (Week 1, Jan. 4)
Representation and misrepresentation of Africa (Jan. 6)
Politics in pre-colonial Africa (Week 2, Jan. 9 & 11)
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 2: 7-10
2. Jeffrey Herbst, States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and
Control (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000): 35-57
3. Michael Crowder, “Indirect rule—French and British style,” Africa: Journal of the
International African Institute 34, 3 (July 1964): 197-205

Colonialism and its legacies (Week 3, Jan. 16 & 18)
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African Politics, chapter 2: 7-30
2. Crawford Young, The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective (New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1994): 1-12; 282-292
3. Crawford Young, “The of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflection on the changing
African political dynamics,” African Affairs 103 (2004):23-49
4. Bruce Gilley, “Chinua Achebe on the positive legacies of colonialism,” African Affairs
115, 461 (2016): 646–663
PART TWO
POST-COLONIAL STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS

Nationalist ideologies, authoritarianism (Week 4, Jan. 23 & 25)
1. Alex Thompson, Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 3
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2. Robert Rotberg, “The Rise of African Nationalism: The Case of East and Central Africa,”
World Politics 15, 1(1962):75-90
3. Goran Hyden, “Ujamaa, villagisation, and rural development in Tanzania,”
Development Policy Review A8, 1 (1975): 53-72
4. Cranford Pratt, “Julius Nyerere: Reflections on the Legacy of His Socialism,” Canadian
Journal of African Studies 33, 1(1999): 137-52

Themes
&
Readings
State militarism, civil-military relations (Week 5, Jan. 30 & Feb. 1)
1. Alex Thompson, Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 7
2. Samuel Decalo, “Modalities of civil-military stability in Africa,” Journal of Modern
African Studies 27, 4 (1989): 547-78
3. Arnold Hughes and Roy May, “The Politics of Succession in Black Africa,” Third World
Quarterly 10, 1 (1988): 1-22

Democratic transition, competitive party politics (Week 6, Feb. 6 & 8)
1. Nicolas van de Walle (2002); “Africa’s Range of Regimes,” Journal of Democracy 13, 2
(2002): 66-80
2. Michael Bratton and Robert Mattes, “Neither consolidating nor fully democratic: The
evolution of African political regimes, 1999-2008,” Afrobarometer Briefing Paper No.
67 (May 2009)
3. Adewale Banjo, “The politics of succession crisis in West Africa: The case of Togo,” The
International Journal of Peace 25, 2 (2008): 33-55

Socioeconomic liberalization, informal institutions (Week 7, Feb. 13 & 15)
1. Alex Thompson, Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 5
2. Jeffery Herbst, “The structural adjustment politics of Africa,” World Development 18,
7(1990): 949-958
3. Deborah Brautigam, “Substituting the state: institutions and industrial development in
Eastern Nigeria,” World Development 25, 7 (1997):1063-1080
4. Carolyn Logan, “The roots of resilience: exploring popular support for African
traditional authorities,” African Affairs 112, 448 (2013): 353-76
***Mid-term exam (20 February)
***Reading Break (27 February-3 March)
PART THREE
POLITICAL DISORDER AND RECONSTRUCTION

Political disorder (Week 8, Feb. 22)
Themes
&
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 4
2. Patrick Chabal and Jean-Pascal Daloz, Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument
(James Currey, 2010) Chapters 1-3
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Readings
3. William Reno, “Clandestine economies, violence and states in Africa,” Journal of
International Affairs 53, 2(2000): 433-459
4. Youssef Cohen, Brian Brown, and AFK Organski, “The paradoxical nature of state
making: the violent creation of order,” American Political Science Review 75, 04
(1981): 901-910

Themes
&
Readings
Armed insurgencies, civil wars (Week 9, March 6 & 8)
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African Politics, Chapter 10
2. Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, “Greed and grievance in civil war,” Oxford Economic
Papers 56 (2004): 563-95
3. Paul Richards, 2005. “To fight or to farm? Agrarian dimensions of the Mano River
Conflicts (Sierra Leone and Liberia),” African Affairs 104, 417 (2005): 571-590
4. Khalid Mustafa Medani (2013). “The political economy of inter-communal conflict in
Sudan,” Middle East Report 269 (2013): 26-48

Post-war reconstruction, peacebuilding (Week 10, March 13 & 15)
1. Chandra Lekha Sriram, Olga Martin-Ortega and Johanna Herman, Peacebuilding and
rule of law in Africa: just peace? (Abingdon: Routledge, 2011), chapter 1 & 6
2. Piere Englebert and Dennis Tull, “Post-conflict reconstruction in Africa: flawed ideas
about failed states,” International Security 32, 4 (2008): 106-139.
3. Mohamed Sesay, “Harmonizing customary justice with international rule of law?
Lessons from Post-conflict Sierra Leone,” in Evaluating Transitional Justice edited by
Kirsten Ainley, Rebekha Friedman, and Chris Mahoney (Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2015)
4. Marleen Renders and Ulf Terlinden, “Negotiating Statehood in a Hybrid Political
Order: The Case of Somaliland,” Development and Change 41, 4(2010): 723–746
PART FOUR
EMERGING TRENDS / ISSUES

Themes
New Scramble for Africa (Week 11, March 20 & 22)
1. Alex Thompson, An Introduction to African Politics, chapter 8
2. Pádraig Carmody, The New Scramble for Africa (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011),
Chapters 1-3
3. Ian Taylor (2007). “Sino-African Relations and the Problem of Human Rights,” African
Affairs 107, 426 (2007): 63-87
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&

International Criminal Court (Week 12, March 27 & 29)
Readings
1. Manisuli Ssenyyonjo, “The International Criminal Court and the Warrant of Arrest for
Sudan’s President Al-Bashir: A Crucial Step towards Challenging Impunity or a Political
Decision,” Nordic Journal of International Law, 78 (2009): 397: 431.
2. Kasaija Apuuli, Kasaija, “Peace over Justice: The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace
Initiative (ARLPI) vs. the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Northern Uganda,”
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 11, 1 (2011): 116-129
3. Jean-Baptiste Vilmer, “The African Union and the International Criminal Court:
counteracting the crisis,” International Affairs 92, 6 (2006): 1319-42
4. Megan MacKenzie and Mohamed Sesay, “No Amnesty from/for the International: the
Production and Promotion of TRCs as an International Norm in Sierra Leone,”
International Studies Perspectives 13 (2012):146-16
Themes

Health pandemics (Week 13, April 3 & 5)
&
Readings
1. Alex de Waal, “How will HIV/AIDS transform African Governance?” African Affairs 102,
406 (2003): 1-23
2. Helen Lauer, “Cashing in on Shame: How Popular “Tradition vs. Modernity” Dualism
Contributes to the “HIV/AIDS Crisis” in Africa, Review of Radical Political Economics
38, 90 (2006): 90-138
3. John Idriss Lahai, The Ebola Pandemic in Sierra Leone: Representations, Actors,
Interventions (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), Chapter 1-2
4. Ufiem Maurice Ogbonnaya, “Political Conflicts, State Collapse and Ebola Virus Disease
Prevalence in West Africa Examining the Nexus,” African Insight 45, 1 (2015): 30-51
 Recap for final exam (April 7)
Plagiarism
McGill University has zero tolerance for plagiarism.
1. What is plagiarism? The University defines plagiarism as “the representation of another’s work,
published or unpublished, as one’s own or assisting another in representing another’s work,
published or unpublished, as his or her own”. You should not represent another person’s work,
published or unpublished, as your own without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is an academic
offence according to McGill’s Handbook on Students Rights and Responsibilities (see
http://www.mcgill.ca/secretariat/policies/students/handbook-student-rights-and-responsibilitieslerecueil-des-droits-et-obligations-de-letudiant
2. What are the consequences of plagiarism? The penalties for plagiarism are stipulated in the Code of
Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, Articles 16-19 (see http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity for
more information). Any case of plagiarism will be referred to the Disciplinary Officer of the Faculty of
Arts who is the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) for appropriate disciplinary action.
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As stipulated in the university’s Charter of Students’ Rights, it is your right to submit any assignment in
the course in English or French.
You may request a review of your paper or exam if you wish to contest a grade. But you must submit in
writing (a page) the justifications for challenging the grade received, within two weeks following the day
the grades were provided. The request must be emailed to me. After a request has been made, your
paper or exam will be re-graded but note that the grade may be raised, lowered, or remain unchanged
upon re-evaluation.
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