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Archive for May, 2010

Thinking about AFRICOM’s think tank

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) is launching a think tank based in Germany to inform and support DOD missions.   The AFRICOM SSRC Information Paper explains that the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) will be staffed by a core group of scholars with PhDs  who will also be able to deploy Socio-Cultural Research and Advisory [...]

May 28, 2010 · admin · 7 Comments
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• FEATURED RESEARCH: “Questioning Tocqueville in Africa”

  "Questioning Tocqueville in Africa: Continuity and Change in Civil society During Nigeria’s Democratization"

  Alexis de Tocqueville's influence on the democratization literature has encouraged the idea that transitions require an independent civil society. However this view reifies boundaries between state and society, and it over-predicts civil society confrontation with governments. Drawing upon Hegel, I develop a model that clusters organizations according to goal orientation and autonomy. I then examine civil society during Nigeria’s democratization. I attribute changes in autonomy and goal orientation of organizations to transnational organizing, coalition building, and repression. My findings question the assumption that autonomous organizations will challenge the state.

  (This article appears in the February 2011 issue of Democratization, vol. 18, no. 1)