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political participation

Electoral Democratisation in Post-Civil War Guinea-Bissau 1999 - 2008

Upphovsperson: Rudebeck, Lars
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala
År: 2011
Ämnesord: Guinea-Bissau, Post-conflict reconstruction, Democratization, elections, political parties, political participation, democracy, Political conditions, Economic conditions, Political science, Statsvetenskap
This Discussion Paper provides a profound analysis of the theory of democratisation as applied in a post-conflict West African context. It includes a compelling analysis of ‘democratisation without development’ in Guinea-Bissau and lays the groundwork for what is to be done to facilitate democratic transformation in the country. This is a must-read for scholars, policy and development practitioners and activists keen on understanding the immediate background to the current challenges facing Guinea-Bissau and their possible resolution.

Transforming elections into opportunities for political choice

Medarbetare: Ibrahim, Jibrin
Utgivare: Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2007
Ämnesord: political development, Political power, Democratization, political participation, elections, Civil rights, Conference papers, West Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap
This monograph presents a well-informed overview and analysis of political transitions, democratic struggles and elections in West Africa. It explores the ways in which various authoritarian regimes across the sub-region have tried to subvert democracy and how the citizens of various countries have struggled against dictatorship and impunity, to achieve the return to democratic rule. Drawing on insights from the Ghanaian model of free and fair elections, Niger's difficult, but successful transtion to democracy, elections in post-conflict Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the struggles for democracy in Nigeria, Jibrin Ibrahim proposes concrete strategies that will empower the people of West Africa to make political choices which will advance and secure their individual and collective socio-economic and democratic rights.

The ANC underground in South Africa

Upphovsperson: Suttner, Raymond
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Auckland Park, South Africa : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Jacana Media
År: 2008
Ämnesord: African National Congress, South African Communist Party, politics, political participation, political history, political parties, national liberation movements, anti-apartheid movements, anti-apartheid activists, South Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap
It is commonly held that the ANC -after its banning in 1960 and the imprisonment of its leaders - largely disappeared off the face of South Africa until public support for it revived in the wake of the Soweto uprising of 1976. This book takes issue with that view. Drawing  on substantial oral testimony, Raymond Suttner develops a convincing case that internally based activist, sometimes working independently of the ANC in exile and sometimes in combination, were able to reconstitute networks within South Africa after the organisation's banning. He discusses the broad features of their secret  underground work, the impact it had on their personal lives, and the opportunities that were presented for both bravery and abuse. One of the distinctive features of his approach is its treatment of such illegal activity through a gendered lens. Suttner concludes by exploring the dominant position which the ANC had established by the 1970s (partly through underground activity), enabling it to become the prime political beneficiary of the Soweto uprising and ultimately creating the conditions for a negotiated settlement in South Africa. CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction The early underground: From the M-Plan to Rivonia The reconstitution of the SACP asan underground organisation The ANC underground betweeen Rivonia and 1976 The character of underground work Gendering the underground Revolutionary morality and the suppression of the personal The re-establishment of ANC hegemony after 1976 List of interviews Notes Index

State recognition of traditional authority in Mozambique : the nexus of community representation and state assistance

Upphovspersoner: Buur, Lars | Kyed, Helene Maria
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2005
Ämnesord: Local government, Traditional authority, Traditional leaders, political participation, Government Mozambique, Political science, Statsvetenskap
How should the Mozambican traditional leaders' double role as community representatives and state assistants be captured? This discussion paper addresses some fundamental questions pertaining to the 2002 official recognition of traditional leaders as community authorities. After a brief history of the changing role of, and faith in, traditional authorities as a basis for understanding the importance of their recent official recognition, the paper outlines the key objectives of the Decree 15/2000 that officially recognises community authorities. Some of the key concepts underpinning the Decree are then critically assessed. It is argued that the double role that community authorities are expected to fulfil as both community-representatives and state-assistants is not equally balanced in the Decree: the scale tips heavily towards the state-assistance aspect. The reasons for this are explored in the context of a set of reified notions underpinning the Decree, such as its understanding of 'traditional rules' and the concept of 'community'. The paper concludes by pointing out some unintended con-sequences of these reified notions for kin-based forms of community authority and especially for the ideal of community participation.

Women and the remaking of politics in Southern Africa : negotiating autonomy, incorporation and representation

Upphovsperson: Geisler, Gisela
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2004
Ämnesord: Southern Africa, women's participation, political participation, political movements, women's status, gender equality, Social anthropology, Socialantropologi
African women have a long history of political involvement. Yet, the fervour with which they participated in anti-colonial struggles and supported national liberation were not acknowledged after independence leaving them to fight for representation and personal liberation on other fronts. This study looks at women’s struggles in Southern Africa where the last ten years have seen the most pervasive success stories on the African continent. Tracing the history of women’s involvement in anti-colonial struggles and against apartheid, the book analyses post-colonial outcomes and examines the strategies employed by women’s movements to gain a foothold in politics. In this book, the author presents in depth analyses and women’s narratives of their experiences in political parties, in the national machinery for the advancement of women and in the autonomous women’s movements.

Reconciling winners and losers in post-conflict elections in West Africa : political and policy imperatives

Upphovspersoner: Norberg, Carin | Obi, Cyril
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2007
Ämnesord: elections, Electoral systems, Voting, political participation, Democratization, Peaceful coexistence, Conference reports, Peace and conflict research, Freds- och konfliktforskning
In post-conflict societies, elections play several roles. They provide citizens with the opportunity to freely chose their leaders and representatives, and provide countries emerging from civil wars with new opportunities to come to terms with a traumatic past and rebuild their lives and societies in a secure and stable environment. For the international community, post-conflict elections lend credibility to peace agreements and provide an exit strategy. However, when elections are poorly timed or administered, and outstanding issues of justice, participation, national ownership and sustainability of the peace process are not well addressed, there is always a chance that the entire process may unravel. This report based on the debates and discussions of a panel debate on Winners and Losers in Post-Conflict Elections in West Africa, draws on insights from post-conflict elections in the sub-region and provides some crucial policy recommendations as well as areas for further research.