Political legitimacy in Middle Africa : father, family, food

"... refreshing and provocative... a significant addition to existing literature on African politics." -- Stephen Ellis"It opens up a whole new field of investigation, and brings into focus the pertinence of an interdisciplinary approach to African politics." -- Ren? LemarchandIn this innovative work, Michael G. Schatzberg reads metaphors found in the popular press as indicators of the way Africans come to understand their political universe. Examining daily newspapers, popular literature, and political and church documents from across middle Africa, Schatzberg finds that widespread and deeply ingrained views of government and its relationship to its citizenry may be understood as a projection of the metaphor of an idealized extended family onto the formal political sphere. Schatzberg's careful observations and sensitive interpretations uncover the moral and social factors that shape the African political universe while showing how some African understandings of politics and political power may hamper or promote the development of Western-style democracy. Political Legitimacy in Middle Africa looks closely at elements of African moral and political thought and offers a nuanced assessment of whether democracy might flourish were it to be established on middle African terms.

"... refreshing and provocative... a significant addition to existing
literature on African politics." -- Stephen Ellis

"It opens up a
whole new field of investigation, and brings into focus the pertinence of an
interdisciplinary approach to African politics." -- René
Lemarchand

In this innovative work, Michael G. Schatzberg reads
metaphors found in the popular press as indicators of the way Africans come to
understand their political universe. Examining daily newspapers, popular literature,
and political and church documents from across middle Africa, Schatzberg finds that
widespread and deeply ingrained views of government and its relationship to its
citizenry may be understood as a projection of the metaphor of an idealized extended
family onto the formal political sphere.

Schatzberg's careful
observations and sensitive interpretations uncover the moral and social factors that
shape the African political universe while showing how some African understandings
of politics and political power may hamper or promote the development of
Western-style democracy. Political Legitimacy in Middle Africa looks closely at
elements of African moral and political thought and offers a nuanced assessment of
whether democracy might flourish were it to be established on middle African
terms.

"... refreshing and provocative... a significant addition to existing literature on African politics." — Stephen Ellis

"It opens up a whole new field of investigation, and brings into focus the pertinence of an interdisciplinary approach to African politics." — René Lemarchand

In this innovative work, Michael G. Schatzberg reads metaphors found in the popular press as indicators of the way Africans come to understand their political universe. Examining daily newspapers, popular literature, and political and church documents from across middle Africa, Schatzberg finds that widespread and deeply ingrained views of government and its relationship to its citizenry may be understood as a projection of the metaphor of an idealized extended family onto the formal political sphere.

Schatzberg's careful observations and sensitive interpretations uncover the moral and social factors that shape the African political universe while showing how some African understandings of politics and political power may hamper or promote the development of Western-style democracy. Political Legitimacy in Middle Africa looks closely at elements of African moral and political thought and offers a nuanced assessment of whether democracy might flourish were it to be established on middle African terms.

Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 1. Metaphor and Matrix......Page 16 2. Representations of Power......Page 51 3. Parameters of the Political......Page 86 4. Alternative Causalities......Page 126 5. Matrix I—The Father-Chief: Rights and Responsibilities......Page 160 6. Matrix II—Gender and Generation: Women, the Paternal Order, and the Alternation of Power......Page 189 7. Democracy and the Logic of Legitimacy......Page 216 Notes......Page 238 Selected Bibliography......Page 284 Index......Page 298 Exploring the cultural underpinnings of political legitimacy, this title argues that the societies have a culturally-rooted template against which people come to understand the political legitimacy, or 'thinkability', of institutions, ideas, policies, and procedures. It also explores the role of the father-chief as head of the family.