Politics and Development in Contemporary Africa. London: Zed Books, 2017. xii, 327 pp. (Tables, figures, maps, B&W photos.) US$95.00, cloth. ISBN 978-1-78699-078-5.
Globalization and its effects on international connections, especially cross-border mobility, has been a key issue of both international relations and international political sociology since at least the end of the Cold War three decades ago. Much of the relevant literature concentrates on what states and other major actors, such as transnational business corporations, do in this regard. Issues analyzed include cross-border trade, diplomacy, and conflict (avoidance).
The book under review is not interested in such “big,” headline-catching actors. Instead, it is concerned with how “ordinary people” seek to advance their—mainly economic—self-interest by taking the initiative and relocating themselves where they think there are sufficiently attractive economic opportunities. As many of the chapters of the book point out, such individually small-scale but collectively major initiatives are a newly observed component of contemporary globalization.
This is not to assert that such “small-scale” interactions are a novelty, and can be solely attributed to post-Cold War globalization. Rather, the phenomenon of cross-border trading initiatives and associated cultural exchanges, undertaken by individuals or small networks of people pursuing economic advantages not available at home, has deep historical roots. What has changed in recent years is both the personnel and the scope and scale of such economic opportunities which are now plausible under the current conditions of globalization. This includes both the opportunity and ability to travel often very great distances as a result of (relatively) cheap modern methods of transportation, especially air travel, knowledge of markets and what people want to buy, and market niches where traders can often operate relatively freely.
Cross-border migration has been an increasingly contentious political issue in recent years, not least in Western Europe and Trump-era America. Populist politicians in both environments have sought to build or rebuild political careers by pointing to the often-large numbers of undocumented migrants in their countries and their intention, if elected, to deport such people who, it is claimed, are intent on taking “our jobs, homes and women.” The fifteen chapters in this book examine cross-border migration, concentrating on trade connections and cultural exchange between Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Several of the chapters focus on the commercial and economic activities of Chinese people in Africa and Africans, including Senegalese and Nigerians, in various countries, including Argentina, China, India, and Malaysia.
The main aim of the book is to understand the personal motivations of those involved in trade and cultural exchange, and many of the chapters adopt a similar pattern and structure of analysis: start with the background story, move on to talking about numbers of people involved and what they do, mention, if relevant, the impressions of selected members of the host society, and examine in detail several “life stories” of people involved, typically via face-to-face interviews, often undertaken over time.
The editors have brought together a set of interesting chapters, written by contributors from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The chapters are individually rather short—around fifteen to twenty pages each—and in some cases the reader is left wanting more, not least because some of the chapters cover issues which are rarely looked at in the scholarly or policy literature. The book is divided into three sections, preceded by a lengthy introduction from the editors. The introductory chapter is, however, very useful in setting out the concerns of the book, locating the constituent chapters in their scholarly and policy contexts. There follow three sections, each of four or five chapters: part 1, historical relationships and economic networks; part 2, biographies of mobility and aspirations of success; and part 3, knowledge transfer and cultural interactions. There is no concluding chapter to tie things up, although the comprehensive introductory chapter is helpful in this regard.
Does the book succeed in its aims? Certainly, it is illuminating in shedding light on what are relatively little-known aspects of contemporary globalization, especially in relation to “low-level” trade and cultural exchange involving, inter alia, Africans and Chinese. The book also shows how both trade connections and cultural exchange between Africa and other regions in the global South have expanded since the end of the Cold War. What is novel is the authors’ reporting on the unexpected breadth and variety of such exchanges, including the at times uncomfortable social impacts involved. In addition, the book brings together a variety of scholarly perspectives, which is helpful in showing various dimensions of the trade and cultural exchange issues which the book covers. The overall argument is that such interactions represent what several of the book’s contributors refer to as “globalization from below” as compared, presumably, to “globalization from above,” as manifested by states and transnational businesses. The book would be read with reward by those interested in the developing economic and social components of the global South, especially in relation to Africa and China, both of which feature strongly in the book. It will be more suitable for researchers, although some advanced-level undergraduate and postgraduate students would also find material of use.
Jeffrey Haynes
London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom