Overview

Citizenship in Africa provides a comprehensive exploration of nationality laws in Africa, placing them in their theoretical and historical context. It offers the first serious attempt to analyse the impact of nationality law on politics and society in different African states from a trans-continental comparative perspective. Taking a four-part approach, Parts I and II set the book within the framework of existing scholarship on citizenship, from both sociological and legal perspectives, and examine the history of nationality laws in Africa from the colonial period to the present day. Part III considers case studies which illustrate the application and misapplication of the law in practice, and the relationship of legal and political developments in each country. Finally, Part IV explores the impact of the law on politics, and its relevance for questions of identity and ‘belonging’ today, concluding with a set of issues for further research. Ambitious in scope and compelling in analysis, this is an important new work on citizenship in Africa.

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9781509920778

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Reviews

[T]his book presents a detailed description of the legal mechanisms of citizenship and their impact on the continent, but does so in tandem with a strong historical and political understanding of the context in which these mechanisms have evolved and operated. This is its strength: it will appeal to legal scholars who want to understand the detail of legal process, but has relevance to a much wider audience - an audience that will hopefully heed its call to action. -- Lucy Hovil * Statelessness and Citizenship Review * There is a growing literature within international human rights law about the right to nationality, but it is a topic that has received sparse attention from citizenship and nationality scholars. Bronwen Manby's Citizenship in Africa: The Law of Belonging makes an important contribution at the intersection of these two literatures. Through a series of historical case tudies, Manby offers important insights that support a robust right to nationality. -- Angela M Banks, Arizona State University * The American Journal of Comparative Law *

[T]his book presents a detailed description of the legal mechanisms of citizenship and their impact on the continent, but does so in tandem with a strong historical and political understanding of the context in which these mechanisms have evolved and operated. This is its strength: it will appeal to legal scholars who want to understand the detail of legal process, but has relevance to a much wider audience - an audience that will hopefully heed its call to action. -- Lucy Hovil * Statelessness and Citizenship Review *

[T]his book presents a detailed description of the legal mechanisms of citizenship and their impact on the continent, but does so in tandem with a strong historical and political understanding of the context in which these mechanisms have evolved and operated. This is its strength: it will appeal to legal scholars who want to understand the detail of legal process, but has relevance to a much wider audience - an audience that will hopefully heed its call to action. -- Lucy Hovil * Statelessness and Citizenship Review * There is a growing literature within international human rights law about the right to nationality, but it is a topic that has received sparse attention from citizenship and nationality scholars. Bronwen Manby's Citizenship in Africa: The Law of Belonging makes an important contribution at the intersection of these two literatures. Through a series of historical case tudies, Manby offers important insights that support a robust right to nationality. -- Angela M Banks, Arizona State University * The American Journal of Comparative Law * A book that will be recognised as a standard-setter in an emerging field of study ... a sophisticated, comprehensive research monograph with multiple dimensions. -- Jo Shaw, University of Edinburgh * Journal of Southern African Studies * To call Manby's book comprehensive is an understatement; she covers practically every legal dimension of citizenship and nationality policy, with examples and vignettes from every country, over a span of centuries. Each page itself is not only packed with empirical detail, the footnotes themselves constitute an entirely separate and engaging counter-melody of thought exercises and a treasure trove of additional primary sources and secondary analysis. This is a reference book invaluable to scholars seeking to better understand the history and politics of particular countries, colonial legal legacies, and to situate Africa within the broader global context of nationality and citizenship regimes. -- Elizabeth Iams Wellman * Journal of Modern African Studies *

Author Information

Bronwen Manby is a Consultant and Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, previously working for the Open Society Foundations and Human Rights Watch. She is the author of numerous publications on nationality and statelessness and in the field of human rights in Africa generally.

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