Struggles for Citizenship in Africa (African Arguments) - Softcover

Manby, Bronwen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848133529 ISBN 13: 9781848133525

Publisher: Zed Books, 2009

Synopsis

This book, by an acknowledged expert on human rights in Africa, discusses the hundreds of thousands living as non-persons in the only African state they have ever known. Not recognized as citizens, they have no access to education, state health services, travel documents, or employment without a work permit. Most of all, they cannot vote, stand for office, or work for state institutions. Ultimately such policies can lead to disaster or war. The conflicts in Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo are at heart conflicts over the rights of divided populations to share fully the rights and duties of citizenship. Bringing together new research from across Africa, this book makes the case for urgent reform of the law. 

About this title

About the Author:

Bronwen Manby works with the Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP). 

Review:

"This is a sharp, concise and convincing analysis of the ruthless manipulation of the idea of citizenship by Africa’s rulers. Manby brilliantly exposes the large scale legalised discrimination and disenfranchisement which underlie many of today’s political conflicts in Africa. A must read for policymakers and any serious student of African politics." -- Tom Porteous, author of Britain in Africa "Ever more people in Africa are excluded from citizenship through a complex intertwinement of colonial categorizations and post-colonial political tricks, coupled with mounting xenophobia. There are many reasons why a person can be re-classified as a stranger, but loss of statehood always has dire consequences. Bronwen Manby and her team offer a deeper understanding of the complex backgrounds and striking variations involved, vividly evoking the plights of millions who have to do without any state protection. A most convincing testimony to the urgency of this issue." -- Peter Geschiere, author of Perils of Belonging: Autochthony, Citizenship and Exclusion in Africa and Europe "Bronwen Manby has done a tremendous service by writing the most comprehensive survey of citizenship in Africa.  Based, in part, on a large survey of laws and practices sponsored by the Open Society Institute, Struggles for Citizenship in Africa is a comprehensive review of citizenship from constitutional law to court cases to the everyday problems that Africans without the right papers face.  Its focus on the conflicts, often spilling into violence, caused by citizenship disputes is particularly welcome.   This book will be a critical resource to understanding future African debates around who belongs to the polity.' Jeffrey Herbst, author of 'States and Power in Africa''This book is meticulous in factual documentation, rigorous in analysis, consistent in intellectual honesty, and optimistic in its vision -- public scholarship at its best.  Only such combination of sober reflection and optimistic vision can lay the solid foundation for the sustainable realization of social justice and human dignity in Africa." -- Dr. Abdullahi A. An-Na`im, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, Emory University, Atlanta

About this edition

• Publisher: Zed Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1848133529
• ISBN 13: 9781848133525
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208