MACMILLAN Secessionism in African Politics: Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment (Palgrave Series in African Borderlands Studies)

Secessionism perseveres as a complex political phenomenon in Africa, yet often a more in-depth analysis is overshadowed by the aspirational simplicity of pursuing a new state. Using historical and contemporary approaches, this edited volume offers the most exhaustive collection of empirical studies of African secessionism to date. The respected expert contributors put salient and lesser known cases into comparative perspective, covering Biafra, Katanga, Eritrea and South Sudan alongside Barotseland, Cabinda, and the Comoros, among others. Suggesting that African secessionism can be understood through the categories of aspiration, grievance, performance, and disenchantment, the book's analytical framework promises to be a building block for future studies of the topic.  Review “This book offers a vast compendium on secessionism on the African continent. Every single case is narrated in good detail and I find it a wonderful contribution to African Studies, International Relations, and studies of nationalism and conflict in general.” (Yusuf Serunkuma, African Affairs, Vol. 118 (472), July, 2019) From the Back Cover Secessionism perseveres as a complex political phenomenon in Africa, yet often a more in-depth analysis is overshadowed by the aspirational simplicity of pursuing a new state. Using historical and contemporary approaches, this edited volume offers the most exhaustive collection of empirical studies of African secessionism to date. The respected expert contributors put salient and lesser known cases into comparative perspective, covering Biafra, Katanga, Eritrea and South Sudan alongside Barotseland, Cabinda, and the Comoros, among others. Suggesting that African secessionism can be understood through the categories of aspiration, grievance, performance, and disenchantment, the book's analytical framework promises to be a building block for future studies of the topic.  About the Author Lotje de Vries is Assistant Professor at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Pierre Englebert is H. Russell Smith Professor of International Relations at Pomona College, USA. Mareike Schomerus is Senior Research Fellow at Overseas Development Institute, UK.