Africa
The Politics of Suffering and Smiling
Patrick Chabal

Description
In Africa: The Politics of Suffering and Smiling Patrick Chabal approaches this question differently by reconsidering the role of theory in African politics. Chabal discusses the limitations of existing political theories of Africa and proposes a different starting point; arguing that political thinking ought to be driven by the need to address the immediacy of everyday life and death. How do people define who they are? Where do they belong? What do they believe? How do they struggle to survive and improve their lives? What is the impact of illness and poverty? In doing so, Chabal proposes a radically different way of looking at politics in Africa and illuminates the ways ordinary people 'suffer and smile'.
This is a highly original addition to Zed's groundbreaking World Political Theories series.
Author Bio
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. The Politics of Being
- 2. The Politics of Belonging
- 3. The Politics of Believing
- 4. The Politics of Partaking
- 5. The Politics of Striving
- 6. The Politics of Surviving
- 7. The Politics of Suffering
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Reviews
Tim Kelsall, African Affairs
'This is an important rumination on those deeper aspects of African life that most political science finds too scary, or too complicated, to investigate. Chabal asks deadly simple questions about very complex matters.'
John Lonsdale, University of Cambridge
Details
Publication Date: 12 February 2009
224 pages
Product ISBNs:
Paperback: 9781842779095
eBook ePub: 9781848136021
eBook PDF: 9781848133747
eBook Kindle: 9781780326528
Library Edition: 9781842779088
Appears in
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