Departures from Post-Colonial Authoritarianism

This study sends the reader on an exciting journey into social and political life in Africa. It gives space to the voices of Tanzanian villagers, rural associations, branches of political parties and local government officers and their views of socio-economic and political change during the 1990s. This authentic picture is combined with a thorough sociological and political economy analysis showing the dynamics in the relations between state components and social forces in the context of neo-liberal globalization. The book is not only attractive as a country case study. It contains a deep analysis of the paradigmatic shift of African political systems from post-colonial rule to governance in response to neo-liberalism and provides new insights in processes of political transformation.

Autorentext

The Author: Elke Grawert studied Political Science and Literature in Münster and Hamburg and did her Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Economics at the University of Bremen (Germany). She lectures in Bremen and has done post-doctoral research on governance and social change in Tanzania, Sudan and the Greater Horn.

Inhalt
Contents: Political system change in Africa Authoritarian rule Political and economic transformation State-society relations Decentralization Political parties Civil society Rural women's groups Self help History of political participation in Tanzania Democratization and local government in Tanzania.