The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa

Ethnic politics will continue to be a more significant challenge in the twenty-first century for a large number of African countries. Many scholars believe that creating ethnic-based political ideologies in the mainstream will make it more difficult for the masses to have representation. Ethnic pol...

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Main Author: Seife T.K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UJ Press 2022-06-01
Series:African Journal of Political Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajps/article/view/1146
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author Seife T.K.
author_facet Seife T.K.
author_sort Seife T.K.
collection DOAJ
description Ethnic politics will continue to be a more significant challenge in the twenty-first century for a large number of African countries. Many scholars believe that creating ethnic-based political ideologies in the mainstream will make it more difficult for the masses to have representation. Ethnic politics could be an appealing tool for leaders seeking to preserve power through appeals to emotion and manipulation of resources, with no added value or rational debate. Political stability and democratic ideas are contingent on how African politicians respond to ethnic and language-based politics in the future. The challenge is finding a way to reconcile economic growth and well-being with entitlement politics. This article examines the rise of ethnic politics in Africa through the lens of six African countries. The article's question is how political, ideological polarisation can be avoided in Africa, and a win-win strategy to that end is being explored. The article also attempts to convey a comprehensive perspective on shaping political debates to understand the foundations of political elites and parties.
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language English
publishDate 2022-06-01
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series African Journal of Political Science
spelling doaj-art-4b8f2bfa6b064394939fbe006b9484272025-01-08T06:04:02ZengUJ PressAfrican Journal of Political Science1027-03531726-37272022-06-0110110.36615/ajpsrasp.v10i1.1146The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in AfricaSeife T.K.0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6307-5427University of Johannesburg Ethnic politics will continue to be a more significant challenge in the twenty-first century for a large number of African countries. Many scholars believe that creating ethnic-based political ideologies in the mainstream will make it more difficult for the masses to have representation. Ethnic politics could be an appealing tool for leaders seeking to preserve power through appeals to emotion and manipulation of resources, with no added value or rational debate. Political stability and democratic ideas are contingent on how African politicians respond to ethnic and language-based politics in the future. The challenge is finding a way to reconcile economic growth and well-being with entitlement politics. This article examines the rise of ethnic politics in Africa through the lens of six African countries. The article's question is how political, ideological polarisation can be avoided in Africa, and a win-win strategy to that end is being explored. The article also attempts to convey a comprehensive perspective on shaping political debates to understand the foundations of political elites and parties. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajps/article/view/1146CitizenshipEthnic PoliticsIdeological PoliticsLanguage and IdentityPopulism
spellingShingle Seife T.K.
The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
African Journal of Political Science
Citizenship
Ethnic Politics
Ideological Politics
Language and Identity
Populism
title The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
title_full The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
title_fullStr The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
title_full_unstemmed The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
title_short The Debate Between Conventional Ideology and Ethnic Politics in Africa
title_sort debate between conventional ideology and ethnic politics in africa
topic Citizenship
Ethnic Politics
Ideological Politics
Language and Identity
Populism
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajps/article/view/1146
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