Rights and the Politics of Recognition in Africa

All over the world, people are claiming their rights. Are these claims prompted by similar values and aspirations? And even if human rights are universal, what are the consequences of claiming them in different historical, cultural and material realities? The diversity of African countries considered in this book compels careful thought about these questions. often fed by both individuals' and groups' desire for recognition and representation. By laying bare some of the inadequacies of liberal individualism in highly plural societies, these detailed studies provide innovative critiques of such taken-for-granted concepts as civil society, democracy, citizenship and human rights. The book affirms the far-reaching importance of studying Africa as a unit of analysis in its own right, and unsettles dominant Euro-American paradigms. All over the world, people are claiming their rights. Are these claims prompted by similar values and aspirations? And even if human rights are universal, what are the consequences of claiming them in different historical, cultural and material realities?