Open Society and Soros Foundation
about usinitiativesgrants and scholarshipsresource centernewsroom
Publications
image

Struggles for Citizenship in Africa

Date:
October 2009
Source:
Zed Books
Author:
Bronwen Manby

Millions of people living in Africa find themselves nonpersons in the only states they have ever known. Because they are not recognized as citizens, they cannot get their children registered at birth; they cannot access state health services; they cannot obtain employment without a work permit; and if they leave the country they may not be able to return. Most of all, they cannot vote, stand for public office, or work for state institutions.

Ultimately, such policies can lead to economic and political disaster, or even war. The conflicts in both Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo have had at their hearts the right of one part of the national population to share with others on equal terms the rights and duties of citizenship.

Struggles for Citizenship in Africa brings together new material from across Africa of the most egregious examples of citizenship discrimination, and makes the case for urgent reform of laws and practices.

This book is part of the African Arguments series, published by Zed Books in association with the International African Institute, The Royal African Society, and The Social Science Research Council. The origins of the book lie in the continent-wide "Africa citizenship audits" carried out by the Open Society Justice Initiative in 2005.

Contents

  • Acknowledgements
  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • Chapter 2: Empire to independence: the evolution of citizenship law in Africa
  • Chapter 3: Natives and settlers
  • Chapter 4: Mass denationalization and expulsion
  • Chapter 5: Internal citizenship in a federal state
  • Chapter 6: The importance of paperwork
  • Chapter 7: Excluding candidates and silencing critics
  • Chapter 8: Naturalization and long-term integration
  • Chapter 9: Last words: before Africa can unite?
  • End Notes

More details about the book are available on the Zed Books website. The complete book chapters are available for download below.

Need help downloading a file or playing a clip? Click here.

Acknowledgements
PDF Document - 46K
Download the Acknowledgements for Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 1
PDF Document - 124K
Download Chapter 1 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 2
PDF Document - 77K
Download Chapter 2 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 3
PDF Document - 240K
Download Chapter 3 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 4
PDF Document - 85K
Download Chapter 4 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 5
PDF Document - 61K
Download Chapter 5 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 6
PDF Document - 82K
Download Chapter 6 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 7
PDF Document - 89K
Download Chapter 7 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 8
PDF Document - 97K
Download Chapter 8 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

Chapter 9
PDF Document - 58K
Download Chapter 9 of Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

End Notes
PDF Document - 165K
Download the End Notes for Struggles for Citizenship in Africa.

back to the top of the page
share  print  print
Related Information

Challenging Ethnic Profiling in Europe
OSI-New York
March 17, 2010
Rosalind Williams discusses her experience challenging racial profiling in Europe and the implications of her landmark case. Open Society Justice Initiative experts on ethnic profiling will also speak.

Working Group to Prepare a Draft Inter-American Convention against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance
James A. Goldston
November 29, 2009
The Open Society Justice Initiative contributed to a meeting of the Organization of American States Working Group tasked with preparing an inter-American legal instrument to more effectively combat racism and all forms of discrimination and intolerance.

Continued Segregation in Czech Schools Devastates Lives of Roma Children
Press Release
November 11, 2009
The Czech Republic can set a much-needed example for the rest of Europe by following through on its commitment to integrate its educational system, said the Open Society Justice Initiative today.

About Us  |  Initiatives  |  Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships  |  Resource Center  |  Newsroom  |  Site Map  |  About this Site  |  Contact


Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License.
©2010 Open Society Institute. Some rights reserved.