Review of History and Political Science, 1(1), pp. 50-62.
Abstract
The paper brings to focus mis-presentation of civil society groups’ struggles for multi-party democracy in Africa as the only entry point into understanding the struggles for democracy by the African peoples. Popular uprising against dictators, ethnic militia violence, popular rejections of election results are forms of popular struggles for genuine democracy that are yet to be given sufficient attention in our discourses of popular struggles for democracy in Africa. This error seems to be a product of post-Cold War neo-liberal discourse of democracy, which tends to ‘emasculate democracy of its social and historical dimensions; and presents it as an ultimate nirvana’. The paper deconstructs this trend and follows up with an explanation of how such trend created crises of transitions; and how the African states have attempted at coping with these crises. The central argument in the paper is that although democratic transitions in most post-independence Africa remains endangered; there is nothing that makes democracy un-African or makes Africans ungovernable. The major set-back for democracy in the continent is its failure to evolve from the grains of its best-fit values but the imported ‘best-practice’ principles of the grand theories.
Full Text: PDF
Olateju, Dr Olatunji. (2013). Popular Struggles for Democracy and Crises of Transitions in Africa. Review of History and Political Science, 1(1), pp. 50-62.
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Olatunji Olateju holds a PhD degree in Politics from the Swansea University UK, M. A in Democratic Studies from the University of Leeds UK, M. Sc; and B.Sc; Sociology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria
He is currently engaged in the coordination and editorial works of a book - ‘Boko-Haram and the Nigerian state’ descending from the panels he convened for Welsh African Studies Network, Swansea University, at the African Studies Association (UK chapter) biennial conference held at the University of Leeds between September 14 to 16 2012.
Olatunji Olateju attended as a nominee of the 6th PhD Students´ International Conference organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in co-operation with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and Proforum at the European Parliament, Brussels, October 15-17, 2012. He presented a paper on ‘Reinventing Productivity in Europe through Speconomy’ currently under review for publication
Olatunji Olateju is a co-sponsor Panel 001 - ‘African dynamics in multi-definitional governance, which governance and whose governance?’ at the 5th European Conference on African Studies (ECAS2013) June 27-29, 2013.
He is also the convenor of Panel 3741- Piloting Africa from the Developmental Crossroads, of the forthcoming African Studies Association UK chapter 2014 Biennial conference Sept 9th – 11th at the University of Sussex, UK.
Before his teaching career at a Polytechnic in 1998, Olateju has worked with Civil Liberties Organisation as Research Officer, National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees as an Organising Secretary, and with various political organisations including Presidential campaign offices, public appointments and political parties.
He desires a post-doctoral fellowship for further research on Theory of Speconomy as an Alternative Model to economic development, and Neo-communitarian Democracy as a brand of democracy ideal for multicultural societies.
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