GL06 African Politics

As Africa fast approaches the 7th decade of independence from formal European colonial rule, its contemporary politics remains a fertile ground of research by academics and practitioners emanating from different academic and social persuasions. The prevailing discourse on this subject produces Africa as a complex ontological and geo-strategic space whose politics is not uniformly understood, partly due to the over-use of Eurocentric theoretical and analytical tools. It is also apparent that African politics can be well understood when located within a historical context. Combined, lessons from the past and present African politics should assist in charting a better future for Africa as envisaged by the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063. Unfortunately, literature on African politics is parochial and fragmented; thus, making it difficult to rely on it to make informed decision making. In the desire to close the gap between political theory and reality, the track on African politics calls for conceptual and empirical contributions that draws on the theories from the Global South to explore Africa’s political systems, political economy, governance and international relations. Single case studies and/or comparative studies that paint an alternative explanation and understanding of pertinent issues in African politics are welcome.