Class, Power and Ideology in Ghana: The Railwaymen of Sekondi (African Studies, Series Number 22)

Although there is a growing body of literature on the process and potential political consequences of class-formation in Africa, there are virtually no detailed studies of the political attitudes and behaviour of African industrial workers. First published in 1978, this study analyses the political history and sociology of one particular group - the railway workers of Ghana's third city, Sekondi-Takoradi, who are renowned for their leading role in the Ghanaian nationalist movement and for their sustained opposition to the elitism and authoritarianism of post-Independence governments. In seeking to explain the ideological consistency which has informed the political activities of the railway workers, Richard Jeffries shows how, within a close-knit and relatively stable community, a keen sense of their own history has provided the basis for a shared political culture. Monograph on the sekondi railway workers' trade union and its influence on political development in Ghana - outlines historical background, political behaviour of the railway workers in the nationalist movement, political opposition as manifested in the strike of 1961, sources of political conflict in the union, etc., And analyses patterns of social class formation, political power and political ideology, based on documentary materials and interviews carried out in 1971. Bibliography pp. 234 to 239, questionnaire, references and statistical tables