Prof Nic Cheeseman will present a seminar on the history of authoritarian rule in Africa during the IDS Seminar series on November 14, 2019. The seminar, “Does Authoritarianism or Democracy Work better for development in Africa?” will explore authoritarian regimes that have existed on the continent, including one-party states, military rule, and personal dictatorships.

The seminar is based on the recent book that Prof Cheeseman co-authored with Jonathan Fisher, Authoritarian Africa: Repression, Resistance, and the Power of Ideas. “Accessible and engaging, Authoritarian Africa: Repression, Resistance, and the Power of Ideas is the first book to examine this subject from a historical perspective,” Oxford University Press, the publisher, says in part of the book’s description. The book will be launched during the seminar.

Issues addressed in the book include: The defeat of democracy: Big man rule, the colonial legacy, and fragile authoritarianism; Between tradition and modernity: Identity, ideas, and the building of the authoritarian African state, 1965-1975;  It's the economy, stupid! The economic foundations of authoritarian rule, 1975-1985; The tail wagging the dog? The international community and African authoritarianism, 1975-2000; Authoritarian rule 2.0: Multi-party Africa and the struggle for democracy, 1995-2010.

The talk and book launch will be held at the University of Nairobi Towers, Mini Lecture Room 401, from 2pm. The IDS bi-monthly seminars  are coordinated by Dr Radha Upadhyaya, a Research Fellow at the Institute.