Overview

Insurgencies or guerrilla movements have come to occupy a prominent place in the politics of modern Africa. At one time they could be regarded as the means by which Africans fought for independence against colonial or white minority regimes which refused to concede it peacefully, but in the late-20th century they have become an important source of organized opposition to incumbent African governments. In some cases they have ousted those governments and established new regimes in their place; in other cases they have prompted state collapse. This collection of articles and case studies is written by contributors with a long-term direct contact with the insurgencies they describe. They analyze the relationship between insurgencies and the local societies in which they are set, the organizational principles upon which the insurgencies are based, and the relationship between the insurgencies and the wider world. North America: Indiana U Press; Uganda: Fountain Publishers

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Reviews

'... the focus of African Guerrillas is unique. The incisiveness of Clapham's analysis will be no surprise to Africanists, but the timeliness and breadth of the contributions, coupled with the accessibility of the volume as a whole - written in jargon-free style and published in affordable paperback in US, UK and Uganda - should place it high on the reading list of anyone seeking an understanding of modern Africa beyond media-fuelled Afropessimism.' - Mel McNulty in Journal of Modern African Studies '... all 11 cases are examined by well-qualified observers who have studied their subjects at close range, in the field. With works of this kind, we are back once more to the exacting level of observation and explication which gave African studies, in the wake of the 'old sociologists' of half a century ago, and more, their claim to lasting validity.' - Basil Davison in the London Review of Books 'Ten case-studies, by some of the most knowledgeable authors in their respective fields, take us from Seirra Leone and Liberia in the west, through the turmoil of the Congo and Rwanda to the Horn of Africa. Each provides a pithy sketch of the origins of the movements concerned, their social base and their challenge to the ruling elite.' - Martin Plaut in International Affairs '...useful and timely...' - Peter Woodward in African Affairs

... the focus of African Guerrillas is unique. The incisiveness of Clapham's analysis will be no surprise to Africanists, but the timeliness and breadth of the contributions, coupled with the accessibility of the volume as a whole (...) should place it high on the reading list of anyone seeking an understanding of modern Africa beyond media-fuelled Afropessimism. - Mel McNulty in JOURNAL OF MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES ... all 11 cases are examined by well-qualified observers who have studied their subjects at close range, in the field. With works of this kind, we are back once more to the exacting level of observation and explication which gave African studies, in the wake of the 'old sociologists' of half a century ago and more, their claim to lasting validity. - Basil Davison in THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS ... case-studies, by some of the most knowledgeable authors in their respective fields, take us from Seirra Leone and Liberia in the west, through the turmoil of the Congo and Rwanda to the Horn of Africa. Each provides a pithy sketch of the origins of the movements concern Rwanda to the Horn of Africa. Each provides a pithy sketch of the origins of the movements concerned, their social base and their challenge to the ruling elite. - Martin

... the focus of African Guerrillas is unique. The incisiveness of Clapham's analysis will be no surprise to Africanists, but the timeliness and breadth of the contributions, coupled with the accessibility of the volume as a whole [...] should place it high on the reading list of anyone seeking an understanding of modern Africa beyond media-fuelled Afropessimism. - Mel McNulty in JOURNAL OF MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES ... all 11 cases are examined by well-qualified observers who have studied their subjects at close range, in the field. With works of this kind, we are back once more to the exacting level of observation and explication which gave African studies, in the wake of the 'old sociologists' of half a century ago and more, their claim to lasting validity. - Basil Davison in THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS ... case-studies, by some of the most knowledgeable authors in their respective fields, take us from Seirra Leone and Liberia in the west, through the turmoil of the Congo and Rwanda to the Horn of Africa. Each provides a pithy sketch of the origins of the movements concerned, their social base and their challenge to the ruling elite. - Martin Plaut in INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ...useful and timely... - Peter Woodward in AFRICAN AFFAIRS

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