Politics in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau: Precolonial Influence on the Postcolonial State (Routledge Studies in African Development)
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- Synopsis
- This book explores how precolonial political traditions and practices shape modern-day politics in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. The precolonial Kaabu empire dominated the region for over 300 years, leaving a rich oral and ritual culture that emphasized the importance of a ruler’s legitimacy among the general population. This book traces how postcolonial political administrations and Justice, Integrity and Truth (JIT) movements have mobilized to reclaim, reinvent and subvert traditional Kabunka norms of statecraft to prove their political legitimacy. It shows how cultural memory, oral arts and musical forms can be used to express ideals of leadership and followership and, in the process, create various conversations and debates about politics and society, social attitudes and morality. In doing so, the book captures how the latent but influential social and political practices from Kaabu are reclaimed, reproduced or subverted to contribute to the evolving nature of political rhetoric in these two countries. Whereas many studies of the state in Africa take Western democratic principles as a starting point, this book provides important evidence on the continuity of precolonial political culture along African’s west coast. It will be of interest to researchers studying politics, history and anthropology both within the region and elsewhere in Africa.
- Copyright:
- 2022
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- Book Size:
- 128 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9781000539462
- Related ISBNs:
- 9781003140009, 9780367690052, 9780367690069
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Date of Addition:
- 11/19/21
- Copyrighted By:
- Mariama Khan
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Nonfiction, Social Studies, Politics and Government
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.