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Africa: The Rebirth of Political Freedom

Issue Date Fall 1991
Volume 2
Issue 4
Page Numbers 11-24
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Read the full essay here.

About the Author

Richard Joseph is John Evans Professor of International History and Politics at Northwestern University. He is the author of Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria (1987; reissued 2014). He is writing books on post-1975 Nigerian politics and society; and on governance, development, and the state in Africa.

View all work by Richard Joseph

Further Reading

Volume 17, Issue 1

Burundi’s Transition: Training Leaders for Peace

Burundi's leaders are learning to embrace a culture of discussion and consensus that offers a way out of the abyss of civil war.

Volume 1, Issue 2

The Agony of the Sudan

Read the full essay here.

Volume 24, Issue 4

Exchange: Reexamining African Elections

Do even unfree and unfair elections in sub-Saharan Africa, if repeated often enough, really contribute to democratization? A fresh look at the evidence casts doubt on the theory of “democratization…