Overview

This book investigates the ways in which forms of social power such as magic, religion, the state and democracy, coexist in Africa, coming together in cooperative and sometimes conflictual ways to form the essence of politics. Contrary to some assumptions, the book argues that magic and religion are not marginal to political modernity but are instead central to contemporary political authority in many African countries. Drawing on cases from across the continent, the book suggests that magic and religion are prominent in social milieux, where the perceptions of control over supernatural forces are seen as important, but they are also by no means absent in legal rational political systems. Religious authorities in Africa are often sought assiduously by heads of state, and the rituals and symbols of the modern state and liberal democracy are often inspired by, if not directly borrowed from, magic (i.e., charisma) and religion, producing what is called in this book secular magic. For social power manifests not only in the application of force and delivery of public goods but also in the production of enchantment, of which magic and religion are the principal sources. The book also argues that social power forms are isomorphic, taking on each other’s features substantively and symbolically as competing elite factions derive strength from their putative ability to harness temporal and spiritual power sources. Multidisciplinary in scope, this book will be of interest to researchers across African studies, political science, anthropology, sociology and religious studies.

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9781041202714

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Reviews

""Social Power and Politics in Africa offers a highly innovative and suggestive set of insights into the ways in which religion and magic help to shape the legitimation of states, public policies and political competition in Africa. It draws on Prof. Gros's career-long research in and on Africa to broadens traditional social science discourse about legitimacy in important new ways."" David K. Leonard, Professor Emeritus of African Politics and Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, USA. ""Professor Jean-Germain Gros has produced a convincing study of social power and its quotidian use by contemporary African political powers. He employs a vast body of theoretical and empirical literatures to show the essentiality of social power in post-colonial African states. The study is innovative, bringing together an array of sources from genres that are not often interrogated for how they speak to each other. He dazzlingly integrates indigenous social milieu/ structures with those that succeeded the European occupation for great explanatory power. This work provides a template for broader application of social power theory in similar post-colonial circumstances."" K. C. Morrison, Ph.D, Affiliate Professor, Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, USA. ""Social Power and Politics in Africa is a provocative and informative read. Professor Gros’ analytical approach is foremost theoretical in orientation. While mainstream theories tend to put modern institutions, such the state and liberal democracy, center stage in African politics, Professor Gros grounds this study in Weberian notions of political authority. This wider lens allows for the incorporation of traditional power forms, such as magic (charisma) and religion, in addition to the state and democracy, in the struggle for political domination. Readers will find the book captivating in its presentation of historical facts and events relative to the African continent. Richard T. Middleton, IV, Ph.D., JD, Esq., University of Missouri-St. Louis, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Law, St. Louis University, USA. ""Social Power and Politics in Africa provides readers with a nuanced understanding of the intersection of secular and spiritual forms of identifications that influence the self-refashioning of postcolonial African nation-states and societies. Jean-Germain Gros eloquently illustrates the myriad of ways that contemporary political authority in Africa include the construction of myths and sacralization of objects, i.e. flags, national anthems, and monuments to produce enchantment, one of the means by which states rule. Thus, Professor Gros demand that “magic” be reinstated into the political lexicon of African studies in order to decode the intersection of nation-state-centered mythmaking and postcolonial legal rationalism."" Ruth Iyob, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA.

Author Information

Jean-Germain Gros is a professor of political science and public policy administration, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA

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