Past Event

The Institute of Political Economy and the Institute of African Studies  present

“The End of Liberal History in Africa? Thoughts on the Demise of a Democratic Dream and the (Re)rise of Authoritarianism”

with

David Moore, University of Johannesburg

In the immediate aftermath of the Cold War and the socio-economic strife of neo-liberal policies in Africa many actors and analysts thought the time was right for ‘democracy-lite’ to take root in Africa: a comprehensive and enthusiastic experiment ensued. This paper will argue that after twenty-five years of this project’s uneven development it is time to reconsider the proposition’s premises and prospects – and to contemplate seriously a longer moment of authoritarianism with a new level of contradictions.

Thursday, January 22, 1:00– 2:30 pm

433 Paterson Hall (History Lounge),

Carleton University

David Moore studied Journalism at Carleton for one year in 1974 and went on to gain a Political Science Phd from York (Toronto) in 1990. Since then he has taught in Alberta, Australia, Durban in South Africa and from 2008 in the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Anthropology and Development Studies as a Professor of the latter. Along the way he has edited books on development theory and written on African political economy, especially Zimbabwe. Recent articles include ‘Coercion, Consent, and the Construction of Capitalism in Africa: Development Studies, Political Economy, Politics and the “Dark Continent”’, in Transformation, 2014 and ‘Death or Dearth of Democracy in Zimbabwe?’ Africa Spectrum, 2014.

See poster: Moore – EndOfLibHistory