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Notes on African Socio-Political Systems
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Abstract
Introduction to the Course African Socio-Political Systems ♦ Generalization about African politics and political systems is made difficult by the extent to which African states both differ from one another and have changed since independence. ♦ This course discusses whether it is nevertheless possible to understand African states as examples of the same political system, as some recent studies have asserted (or assumed). ♦ It argues that by comparing the historical patterns of political development in African states, one can identify a limited number of distinct historical paths, starting with the process of decolonization (where there are two variants). ♦ This course attempts to provide an analytical view to the contemporary African politics taking in to account the pre-colonial African political setup. ♦ The core questions that motivate this course are: (a) To what extent are political outcomes in contemporary Africa a con
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