Africa in Globalization
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概要
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In this volume, scholars working on African politics and African international relations address major issues in contemporary Africa in the context of globalization. The basic and original image of sub-Saharan Africa was that of chromic marginalization in globalizing world. However, as Bayart proposed in the name of “paradigm of extraversion,” there is an alternative image that Africans have utilized their external relations (dependencies) in their favor for long time in their relations with the other world. It is in this interactive manner that Africa and Africans have transformed themselves. It is these multi-dimensional changes on which the authors of articles in this volume focus.This introductory article consists of five sections including brief introduction of each contribution. At first, the old and new issue of nation and state in the context of Africa since colonial period is reexamined. As Mamdani coined the concept of “bifurcated state,” colonial state was by nature dualdimensional despotism. This type of despotism is still observed in Africa in such way as “failed states” like Sudan and Zimbabwe in contemporary period. Also it is possible to point out that nation-building is still unaccomplished “modern” project in Africa.Second, transformation of conflicts in global context is mentioned. The concept of “conflict” has been often reevaluated in its applicability to describe “new wars.” Alternative concepts like complex political emergencies and emerging political complex was proposed by Duffield to describe the new situation of “conflicts.” In fact, “conflict phenomena” has been deeply transformed in the post-cold war era due to involvement of a variety of actors.Third section focuses on emerging regionalism in Africa. It was in 2002 that African Union (AU) was established on the new principle of “intervention instead of indifference” to humanitarian disasters on the continent. New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), which is a new vision and strategic framework for African development, was also adopted for the purpose of coping with the current challenges facing the African continent. Despite these new initiatives, it remains to be seen if these new organizations and frameworks become effective to sort out a variety of issues on the continent.Fourthly, change of political regimes in the name of democratization in Africa has been critically evaluated and labeled in such ways as “pseudodemocracy,” “virtual democracy,” and even “semi-authoritarianism.” In this context, democratization is considered to include not only political pluralism and elections but also development of civil society, constitutionalism and so on. Decentralization is also regarded as important component of democratization and improvement of governance from below. Even so, it is still necessary to evaluate roles of a variety of components in its relation to democratization in Africa.Lastly, instead of marginalization, Africa became a place of engagement of a variety of outside actors, because of the regional war on terrorism and richness of natural resources. In this context one of the most prominent engagements comes from China and India in recent days, which clearly has great interest in African mineral resources. In 2005, G8 also declared its new and heavy involvement in Africa to get rid of chronic poverty in Africa. This is recognized as a “new struggle for Africa,” in which various interaction will cause new political and economic trajectory of this continent. In these ways, Africa will be somehow transformed in the coming years in this obviously interdependent and interconnected world.