Neoliberal Bandwagonism

Civil society and the politics of belonging in Anglophone Cameroon

Piet Konings

• Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9789956558230
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9789956716371
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: African Politics
• Index: Social Sciences

Civil society and empowerment have become buzz words in neoliberal development discourse. Yet many unanswered questions remain on the actual nature and configuration assumed by civil society in specific contexts. Typically, while neoliberals perceive civil-society organisations as vital intermediary channels for the successful implementation of desired economic and political reforms, they are inclined to blame the current resurgence of the politics of belonging for the poor record of these reforms in Africa and elsewhere. This book rejects such notions and argues that the relationship between civil society and the politics of belonging is more complex in Africa than western donors and scholars are willing to admit. Konings argues that ethno-regional associations and movements are even more significant constituents of civil society in Africa than the conventional civil-society organisations that are often uncritically imposed or endorsed. He convincingly shows how the politics of belonging, so pervasive in Cameroon, and indeed much of Africa, during the current neoliberal economic and political reforms, has tended to penetrate the entire range of associational life. This calls for a critical re-appraisal of prevalent notions and assumptions about civil society in the interest of African reality. Hence the importance of this book!

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Map of the Republic of Cameroon
• 1. CIVIL SOCIETY IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON
• 2. MOBILITY AND EXCLUSION: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOCHTHONY MOVEMENTS IN THE SOUTH WEST PROVINCE
• 3. AUTOCHTHONY AND ETHNIC CLEANSING IN THE SOUTH WEST PROVINCE: THE 1961 TOMBEL DISTURBANCES
• 4. THE MARANATHA MOVEMENT AND AUTOCHTHONY IN THE SOUTH WEST PROVINCE
• 5. THE ENTRY OF ANGLOPHONE NATIONALISM INTO PUBLIC SPACE
• 6. ANGLOPHONE STUDENTS AND ANGLOPHONE NATIONALIST STRUGGLES
• 7. UNIVERSITY OF BUEA STUDENTS ON STRIKE
• 8. AUTONOMOUS TEACHERS’ TRADE UNIONISM IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON, 1959-1972
• 9. ANGLOPHONE TEACHERS’ ORGANISATIONS DURING CAMEROON’S POLITICAL LIBERALISATION
• 10. RELATIONS BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE STATE IN CAMEROON’S POSTCOLONY
• 11. PRIVATISATION AND ETHNO-REGIONAL PROTEST IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON
• 12. PRIVATISATION AND LABOUR MILITANCY IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON
• 13. THE ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON-NIGERIA BOUNDARY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONFLICTS
• References
• Index
• Back cover