In this revealing new book, Boas and Dunn explore the phenomenon of 'autochthony' in contemporary African politics.
A new and alternative explanation for civil war and conflict in Africa.
The authors' compelling insights, rooted in a deep understanding of the politics of patronage, reveal how powerful forces in the global economy disrupt old patterns of stability and how the introduction of democratic elections and administrative decentralization can in fact aggravate conflict. This is an essential book both for scholars and analysts seeking to understand the new trajectories of conflicts in African countries, and the decisive shift away from top-down networks of authority to uncertain and often contentious centres of power.
