Contending Political Paradigms in Africa: Rationality and the Politics of Democratization in Kenya and Zambia

[...]Nasong'o utilizes a rich variety of sources secondary and primary - and more particularly interviews, including conversations with ordinary people on the farms and streets of Kenya and Zambia, voices that have often been marginalized in the research on African politics. [...]much of the literature cited by Nasong'o will serve as a treasure trove for political scientists, historians, and other disciplines in illuminating the past forty years of Africa's independence, while shedding light on the future of democracy in Africa. [...]Nasong'o greatest contributions in this volume are three-fold: first, the argument that the transition from colonial and the single party political paradigm is not complete in many countries in Africa, as they only allowed for modest democratic tenets; second, the fact that despite some reservations, "democracy has covered much distance from the days of single party monolithism," something which needs to be acknowledged; and third, his call for continued dialogue, and the need for "enhancing the consolidation of the democratic gains so far achieved" ( 1 95).