An introduction to African politics This fully updated fifth edition of An Introduction to African Politics is an ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent. Charting trends in government over six decades of the post colonial era the book tackles key questions such as: How have African states made sense of their colonial inheritance How relevant are ethnic and religious identities Why have some states collapsed and others prospered Why did the one party state fail Why is contemporary Africa now dominated by electoral authoritarian states and not the multi party democracies promised in the 1990s Key features include: thematically organised with chapters exploring issues such as colonialism ethnicity nationalism religion social class ideology legitimacy authority sovereignty and democracy; new four part structure makes clearer Africas political evolution over time; new chapter on the emergence of hybrid states and electoral authoritarianism; more coverage of 21st century governance trends such as Chinas impact the changing role of the military different uses of client patron networks Western conditionality and the Africa rising debate; colour presentation of maps photos and data; boxed case studies including Mali Tanzania Nigeria Botswana Côte dIvoire Uganda Somalia Ghana the Democratic Republic of the Congo Tunisia and Angola; each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions questions and further reading. An Introduction to African Politics is essential reading for students seeking an accessible introduction to the complex social relationships and events that characterize the politics of post colonial Africa