Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy

Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy
Author: J. Michael Williams
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 0253221552

As South Africa consolidates its democracy, chieftaincy has remained a controversial and influential institution that has adapted to recent changes. J. Michael Williams examines the chieftaincy and how it has sought to assert its power since the end of apartheid. By taking local-level politics seriously and looking closely at how chiefs negotiate the new political order, Williams takes a position between those who see the chieftaincy as an indigenous democratic form deserving recognition and protection, and those who view it as incompatible with democracy. Williams describes a network of formal and informal accommodations that have influenced the ways state and local authorities interact. By focusing on local perceptions of the chieftaincy and its interactions with the state, Williams reveals an ongoing struggle for democratization at the local and national levels in South Africa.

Nkrumah & the Chiefs

Nkrumah & the Chiefs
Author: Richard Rathbone
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780821413067

The end of independent chieftaincy must be one of the most fundamental changes in the long history of Ghana, and one of the central achievements that Kwame Nkrumah and his movement brought about. Nkrumah & the Chiefs examines a radical nationalist government's attempts to destroy chieftaincy in Ghana. Richard Rathbone's pioneering work shows how chiefly resistance forced the government to seek control over rural areas by incorporating and redefining chieftaincy. Based primarily on previously unconsulted archival and other material in Ghana, Nkrumah & the Chiefs is a detailed analysis of this neglected side of Ghana's history.

The Politics of Custom

The Politics of Custom
Author: John L. Comaroff
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2018-03-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 022651093X

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Politics of Chieftaincy

The Politics of Chieftaincy
Author: Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2014
Genre: History
ISBN: 1580464947

Introduction : contesting space and authority in a colonial capital --Situating Ga institutions in the European colonial milieu --Land legislation, commodification, and effects in Accra --Negotiating chieftaincy, the Ga stool, and colonial intervention --Succession disputes, the Ga state council, and the future of chieftaincy --Contesting property in Accra and its periurban locales --Conclusion.

Chieftaincy in Ghana

Chieftaincy in Ghana
Author: Irene K. Odotei
Publisher:
Total Pages: 724
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

Chieftaincy is one of the most enduring traditional institutions in Ghana, which has displayed remarkable resilience from pre-colonial through colonial to postcolonial times. In the past, the role of a chief was to lead his people in war to defend, protect and extend their territories. The modern role is to combat poverty and other social ills: illiteracy, ignorance, environmental degradation, and the depletion of resources. Nowadays, chiefs are under pressure to achieve good governance in their traditional areas. They are challenged to integrate tradition and modernity, a process about which there is considerable debate. They carry out their duties in an increasingly globalised world where the accent is on democracy, human rights, health delivery, employment, human development and regional integration. Their ability to come to terms with these challenges will provide an indication of their relevance and the relevance of the institution to Ghana?s long-term development. This massive volume is arguably the most comprehensive and detailed scholarly study of the institution of chieftaincy to appear on the subject to date. The subjects and approaches are wide- ranging, and cover most aspects of the institution in every geographical area in Ghana. Some thirty contributors from the humanities and social sciences tell the story of chieftaincy past and present from a multitude of perspectives: anthropological, historical, economic, sociological, gender, literary, religious and philosophical.

Chiefs, Priests, and Praise-Singers

Chiefs, Priests, and Praise-Singers
Author: Wyatt MacGaffey
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2013-03-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813933870

In his new book, the eminent anthropologist Wyatt MacGaffey provides an ethnographically enriched history of Dagbon from the fifteenth century to the present, setting that history in the context of the regional resources and political culture of northern Ghana. Chiefs, Priests, and Praise-Singers shows how the history commonly assumed by scholars has been shaped by the prejudices of colonial anthropology, the needs of British indirect rule, and local political agency. The book demonstrates, too, how political agency has shaped the kinship system. MacGaffey traces the evolution of chieftaincy as the sources of power changed and as land ceased to be simply the living space of the dependents of a chief and became a commodity and a resource for development. The internal violence in Dagbon that has been a topic of national and international concern since 2002 is shown to be a product of the interwoven values of tradition, modern Ghanaian politics, modern education, and economic opportunism.

Democracy Compromised

Democracy Compromised
Author: Lungisile Ntsebeza
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2005-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9047407903

This book argues that the promulgation of the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework and Communal Land Rights Acts runs the risk of compromising South Africa's democracy. The acts establish traditional councils with land administration powers. These structures are dominated by unelected members.

Nigerian Chiefs

Nigerian Chiefs
Author: Olufemi Vaughan
Publisher: University Rochester Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781580462495

An analysis of how traditional power structures in Nigeria have survived the forces of colonialism and the modernization processes of postcolonial regimes. This book analyzes how indigenous political power structures in Nigeria survived both the constricting forces of colonialism and the modernization programs of postcolonial regimes. With twenty detailed case studies on colonial andpostcolonial Nigerian history, the complex interactions between chieftaincy structures and the rapidly shifting sociopolitical and economic conditions of the twentieth century become evident. Drawing on the interactions between the state and chieftaincy, this study goes beyond earlier Africanist scholarship that attributes the resilience of these indigenous structures to their enduring normative and utilitarian qualities. Linked to externally-derived forces, and legitimated by neotraditional themes, chieftaincy structures were distorted by the indirect rule system, transformed by competing communal claims, and legitimated a dominant ethno-regional power configuration. Olufemi Vaughan is Professor in the Department of Africana Studies and the Department of History, State University of New York at Stony Brook. Winner of the 2001 Cecil B. Currey Book-length Award from the Association ofThird World Studies.

Traditional Leaders in a Democracy

Traditional Leaders in a Democracy
Author: Skosana, Dineo
Publisher: The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA)
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2019-03-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0639923836

Post-1994, South Africa's traditional leaders have fought for recognition, and positioned themselves as major players in the South African political landscape. Yet their role in a democracy is contested, with leaders often accused of abusing power, disregarding human rights, expropriating resources and promoting tribalism. Some argue that democracy and traditional leadership are irredeemably opposed and cannot co-exist. Meanwhile, shifts in the political economy of the former bantustans − the introduction of platinum mining in particular − have attracted new interests and conflicts to these areas, with chiefs often designated as custodians of community interests. This edited volume explores how chieftancy is practised, experienced and contested in contemporary South Africa. It includes case studies of how those living under the authority of chiefs, in a modern democracy, negotiate or resist this authority in their respective areas. Chapters in this book are organised around three major sites of contest: leadership, land and law.

The Paradox of Traditional Chiefs in Democratic Africa

The Paradox of Traditional Chiefs in Democratic Africa
Author: Kate Baldwin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2016
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107127335

This book shows that powerful hereditary chiefs do not undermine democracy in Africa but, on some level, facilitate it.