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Call for Publications Theme: Africa in Search of Democracy Subtitle: Sub-Saharan and North African Perspectives Publication: Edited Volume Deadline: 1.7.2020 __________________________________________________ In the analysis of some African thinkers, Africa’s problems with democracy can be traceable to the form or type of democracy that it inherited from the colonial powers after independence, and that a more authentic and suitable form of democracy for Africa is one that is both rooted in the indigenous political practices of pre-colonial African societies and fashioned according to African political values and ideals. These African thinkers (Wiredu 2001, 2011; Wamala 2004; Teffo 2004; Ajei 2016) have argued against liberal democracy and multi-party democratic systems as practiced in Africa and have proposed instead consensual democracy as the best form of governance for African states. These proponents of consensual democracy base their arguments partly on the indigenous nature of this form of governance in traditional African societies. Consensual democracy is characterized as a political system in which there are no identified political parties and decisions are primarily reached by consensus. The viability of consensual democracy for contemporary African societies has been debated extensively in the literature (Eze 2000; Ani 2014, 2019; Matolino 2016, 2018; Ani & Etiyiebo 2020). The indigenous African societies often cited for practicing consensual democracy include the governance systems of the Akans of Ghana, the Bugandans of Uganda and the Zulu of South Africa. Hence, the proposal for consensual democracy and the subsequent discussions it has generated has centred primarily on Sub-Saharan African societies. There has not been an engagement with, and conversations on, the possibility of democracy as consensus for North African societies. In the aftermath of the ‘Arab spring’, North African societies are still in search not only for a model of democratization but also a model of democratic consolidation. Similarly, North African conceptions and perspectives on democracy have not been brought to the fore for the acceptance of Sub-Saharan societies. The lack of conversations between North and Sub-Saharan African perspectives on a democracy for all Africa, and the silence on extending the project of consensual democracy to all African societies, is partly due to the supposed differences between the cultures and political structures of North and Sub-Saharan societies. To address this conversational deficit, this edited volume seeks to engage scholarly discussions on whether there can be a democratic model that is distinctively of African origin, by African people, and for the African continent as a whole. It seeks to bridge the conversational gap between North and Sub-Sahara Africa by inquiring among others: - Is democracy by consensus a viable and effective democratic model for North African societies? That is, could consensual democracy be extended beyond Sub-Saharan African societies to all African societies? - Could North African perspectives on democracy provide a feasible alternative to consensual democracy for Sub-Saharan African states? - Should Africa look to its indigenous socio-political institutions and practices in carving a system of democracy for its future? - Are there political ideas and practices common to both Sub-Saharan and North African societies that are essential for democratic theorizing and consolidation in Africa? - Is the search for a continental form of democracy merely an illusion considering Africa’s diverse histories, identities, political values, and socio-economic practices? These questions are meant to stimulate discussions on a continental search for a viable and suitable form of democracy from Sub-Saharan and North African perspectives. Contributors to the volume include: Bernard Matolino, University of Kwazulu-Natal Helen Lauer, University of Dar es Salaam Emmanuel Ani, University of Ghana Martin Ajei, University of Ghana Hisham Wahby, The American University in Cairo Mark Deets, The American University in Cairo Amr Adly, The American University in Cairo Amal Hamada, Cairo University Call for Abstracts: Contributors are invited to submit abstracts (max: 500 words) of papers that either engages with the issues above or that are relevant to the theme of the volume by 1st July 2020 to: rkw...@ug.edu.gh and rkw...@aucegypt.edu Contributors whose abstracts are accepted will be encouraged to submit full papers by 31st October 2020 for the review process. Further Inquiries can be directed to: Richmond Kwesi, PhD Research Fellow, The American University in Cairo Lecturer, University of Ghana Email: rkw...@ug.edu.gh __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
