Ethnic Bargaining and State Breakdown in Africa

In: Nationalism and ethnic politics, Band 1, Heft 1, S. 54-72

Abstract

Analyses the dynamics of state-society relationships in Africa through the prism of changing bargaining relationships in three contexts: the colonial hegemonic regime, the postcolonial hegemonic regime, & the mixed patterns of the contemporary period. It is found that, with the exception of the new, multiparty democratic orders, ethnic bargaining has proved more of a transitional expedient than a method of furthering regularity in political exchange relations over an extended time period. Ethnic bargaining is an indispensable means of promoting the change from colonial rule to independence, facilitating societal compromise & cooperation within an ongoing authoritarian regime -- eg, hegemonic exchange), & putting the collapsed state back together again -- in most cases, as a pact among elites. However, such instrumental bargaining encounters are limited in what they can achieve. They can promote exchanges among tangible political & economic resources, but are not sufficient to ensure adherence over time to basic norms or to political exchange practices. Adapted from the source document.