African Studies Quarterly Volume 15, Issue 1 December 2014 Special Issue Local Communities and the State in Africa Guest Editors: Parakh Hoon and Lauren M. MacLean Published by the Center for African Studies, University of FloridA ISSN: 2152-2448 African Studies Quarterly Executive Staff R. Hunt Davis, Jr. - Editor-in-Chief Todd H. Leedy - AssociAte Editor AnnA MwAbA - ManAging Editor JessicA Horwood - Book Review Editor Editorial Committee OumAr BA Aaron King Lina BenabdallAh NicholAs Knowlton MamAdou BodiAn Eric Lake Jennifer BoylAn Chesney McOmber Renee Bullock Stuart Mueller Ben Burgen Tim Nevin JessicA CAsimir Moise C. NgwA AmAndA Edgell Collins R. NunyonAmeh Dan EizengA Therese Kennelly-OkrAku Timothy FullmAn Sam Schramski Ramin Gillett Abiyot Seifu RyAn Good Caroline StAub VictoriA GorhAm DonAld Underwood Emily HAuser Sheldon Wardwell IbrAhim YAhAyA IbrAhim Joel O. WAo Advisory Board Adélékè Adéèko ParAkh Hoon Ohio State University Virginia Tech Timothy AjAni Andrew Lepp Fayetteville State University Kent State University AbubAkAr AlhAssAn RichArd MArcus Bayero University California State University, Long Beach John W. Arthur Kelli Moore University of South Florida, St. James Madison University Petersburg MantoA Rose MotinyAne Nanette BArkey University of Cape Town Plan International USA James T. Murphy Susan Cooksey ClarK University University of Florida LiliAn Temu OsAki Mark DAvidheiser University of Dar es Salaam Nova Southeastern University DiAnne White Oyler Kristin DAvis Fayetteville State University International Food Policy Research Alex RödlAch Institute Creighton University African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq Jan Shetler Peter VonDoepp Goshen College University of Vermont Roos Willems Catholic University of Leuven African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq © University of FloridA BoArd of Trustees, A public corporAtion of the State of Florida; permission is hereby granted for individuAls to downloAd Articles for their own personAl use. Published by the Center for AfricAn Studies, University of Florida. African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq Table of Contents Introduction – Local Communities and the State in Africa ParAkh Hoon and Lauren M. MacLean (1-11) Bread and Freedom: LinKing Democracy and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa Kirk HArris (13-35) Housing Cooperatives and the Politics of Local Organizations and Representation in Peri-Urban Harare, Zimbabwe Innocent ChirisA, MArilyn GAzA And Elmond BAndAuko (37-53) Elephants are LiKe Our Diamonds: Recentralizing Community Based Natural Resource Management in Botswana, 1996-2012 ParAkh Hoon (55-70) Financial Performance of Local Government in Limpopo Province, 2010-2012 MajutA JudAs MamogAle (71-92) Citizen or Client? An Analysis of Everyday Politics in Ghana Lauren M. MAcLeAn (93-124) Party Youth Activists and Low-Intensity Electoral Violence in Ghana: A Qualitative Study of Party Foot Soldiers’ Activism George M. Bob-MilliAr (125-152) Review Essay Not the Heart of Darkness: Introducing a Borderland Perspective to the Study of Conflict Review by Guy LAncAster (153-155) Benedikt Korf And Timothy RAeymAekers, eds. 2013. Violence on the Margins: States, Conflict, and Borderlands. New York: PAlgrAve MAcmillAn. 289 pp. AndreAs Dafinger. 2013. The Economics of Ethnic Conflict: The Case of BurKina Faso. Rochester, NY: JAmes Currey. 212 pp. Book Reviews Ronke IyAbowAle Ako–Nai, ed. 2013. Gender and Power Relations in Nigeria. Lanham: Lexington Books. 350 pp. Review by Mar Rodriguez (157-158) RonAld AminzAde. 2013. Race, Nation, and Citizenship in Postcolonial Africa: The Case of Tanzania. CAmbridge: CAmbridge University Press. 425 pp. Review by M. VictoriA GorhAm (158-159) African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq KwAme Anthony AppiAh. 2014. Lines of Descent: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Emergence of Identity. Cambridge: HArvArd University Press. 227 pp. Review by Christopher Allen VarlAck (160-161) Andrew BAnk And Leslie J. BAnk, eds. 2013. Inside African Anthropology: Monica Wilson and Her Interpreters. CAmbridge: CAmbridge University Press. 354 pp. Review by VoudinA NgArsou (161-162) Lizelle Bisschoff And StefAnie VAn de Peer. 2013. Art and Trauma in Africa: Representations of Reconciliation in Music, Visual Arts, Literature and Film. London: TAuris. 325 pp. Review by ChArlotte Baker (162-163) Catherine Boone. 2014. Property and Political Order in Africa: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics. New York: CAmbridge University Press. 416 pp. Review by LeilA DemArest (164-165) Clifton CrAis And ThomAs V. McClendon, eds. 2014. The South Africa Reader: History, Culture, and Politics. DurhAm: Duke University Press. 605 pp. Review by Sarah Hanisch (165-167) Sebastian Elischer. 2014. Political Parties in Africa: Ethnicity and Party Formation. New York: Cambridge University Press. 336 pp. Review by NicholAs Knowlton (167-168) Peter Geschiere. 2013. Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust: Africa in Comparison. ChicAgo and London: The University of ChicAgo Press. 293 pp. Review by UchennA Onuzulike (168-170) Susan Gilson-Miller. 2013. A History of Modern Morocco. CAmbridge: CAmbridge University Press. 306 pp. Review by BrAhim El Guabli (170-171) RichArd GrAnt. 2015. Africa: Geographies of Change. New York And Oxford: Oxford University Press. 356 pp. Review by Heidi FrontAni (171-173) John HAnnigAn. 2012. Disasters without Borders: The International Politics of Natural Disasters. New York: Polity Press. 195 pp. Review by Tony WAters (173-174) ZeldA LA LA GrAnge. 2014. Good Morning, Mr Mandela. New York: Allen LAne. 370 pp. Review by Suraj Yengde (174-176) Laurenti MAgesA. 2013. What is Not Sacred?: African Spirituality. MAryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. 256 pp. Review by John WilliAms (176-178) Chrispen MAtsikA. Traditional African Education: Its Significance to Current Educational Practices. HarAre, ZimbAbwe: MAmbo Press. 206 pp. Review by EustAce Palmer (178-180) Temitope B. OriolA. 2013. Criminal Resistance? The Politics of Kidnapping Oil WorKers. FArnhAm, Surrey, UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited. 243 pp. Review by OlAwAri D.J Egbe (180-182) African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq AdebAyo OyebAde, ed. 2014. The United States’ Foreign Policy in Africa in the 21st Century. DurhAm: CArolinA AcAdemic Press. 202 pp. Review by WilliAm A. TAylor (182-183) Terence RAnger. 2013. Writing Revolt: An Engagement with African Nationalism, 1957-67. Woodbridge, UK: JAmes Currey. 206 pp. Review by Myles Osborne (183-184) Robin LAw, SuzAnne SchwArz, And Silke Strickrodt, eds. 2013. Commercial Agriculture, the Slave Trade, and Slavery in Atlantic Africa. Woodbridge: JAmes Currey. 272 pp. Review by Gordon R. BArnes Jr. (185-186) ViviAn Seton, KonrAd Tuchscherer, And Arthur AbrAhAm, eds. 2013. The Autobiography of an African Princess: Fatima Massaquoi. New York: PAlgrAve MAcmillAn. 274 pp. Review by TambA E. M’bAyo (186-188) ChAntAl ZAbus. 2013. Out in Africa: Same-Sex Desire in Sub-Saharan Literatures and Cultures. Suffolk, UK: James Currey. 298 pp. Review by Matthew Durkin (188-189) African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1| December 2014 http://www.AfricA.ufl.edu/Asq African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 1 | December 2014 Introduction The Politics of Local Communities and the State in Africa PARAKH HOON and LAUREN M. MacLEAN Introduction After over two decades of political and economic reforms in many countries in Africa, the interactions between African states and subnational actors at the local level have been transformed in fundamental ways. Many important dimensions of politics take place outside of the formal state institutions in the capital city. Given the prevalence of weak central states, subnational politics is hence crucial to understanding a range of important outcomes, including democracy, civil society, ethnic conflict, and economic development. The relationship between African states and local communities is thus especially relevant for contemporary Africanist scholarship. Despite the significance of these on-the-ground politics, mainstream debates about African state–society relations have focused largely on the variation in more formal institutions at the national level. This special issue shows how many important dimensions of politics can be understood by examining the interactions between the state and local communities and the nuanced variations in subnational politics. Moreover, the special issue highlights how scholars are gaining analytic leverage in this emerging research area by taking a multidisciplinary approach and employing a variety of methodological tools. On-the-ground patterns of conflict and cooperation over political power, economic development, and land or other natural resources in contemporary African societies point to the ongoing salience of public authority that resides outside formal institutions and central governments.1 Sometimes authority is exercised through neo-traditional customary institutions and local community actors.2 At other times, international donors and non-state transnational corporations and NGOs blur the boundaries between the public and private.3 International and local NGOs and community-based organizations have become especially significant for service delivery, the provision of security, and political representation in decision-making.4 However, externally driven