Subnationalism in Africa: Ethnicity, Alliances, and Politics Joshua B. Forrest

The trend toward subnationalist autonomy - and away from the development of singular, state-centric political systems based on the Western model - is one of the most striking phenomena in Africa today. Joshua Forrest analyzes the expansion of ethnic subnationalist movements in the postcolonial period, the reasons behind their growth, and their implications for African politics. Forrest ranges across the continent to explore a variety of subnationalist movements. Without minimizing the crucial role played by manipulative ethnic elites in fomenting subnationalist movements, he points to the intercommunity and interethnic alliances that underpin the most successful movements. This trend, he suggests, may presage a gradual reconfiguration of the political map of Africa in a way that is more reflective of indigenously rooted political culture, a culture that embodies a distinctive respect for local and territorial autonomy. Joshua B. Forrest is associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont and is research affiliate at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School for Public and International Affairs. His recent publications include: Lineages of State Fragility: Rural Civil Society in Guinea Bissau and Namibia's Post Apartheid Regional Institutions: The Founding Year.