From Egypt to South Africa, Nigeria to Ethiopia, a new force for political change is emerging across Africa: popular protest. Widespread urban uprisings by youth, the unemployed, trade unions, activists, writers, artists, and religious groups are challenging injustice and inequality. What is driving this new wave of protest? Is it the key to substantive political change?
Drawing on interviews and in-depth analysis, Adam Branch and Zachariah Mampilly offer a penetrating assessment of contemporary African protests, situating the current popular activism within its historical and regional contexts.
Adam Branch is Associate Professor of political science at San Diego State University and a senior research fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, in Kampala, Uganda. Zachariah Mampilly is Director of the Program in Africana Studies and Associate Professor of political science and international studies at Vassar College.