Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa: The Political Economy of Belonging to Liberia

ISBN-13: 9781108836548 / Angielski / Twarda / 2021 / 250 str.

Robtel Neajai Pailey (London School of Economics and Politic

Opis

Drawing on rich oral histories from over two hundred in-depth interviews in West Africa, Europe, and North America, Robtel Neajai Pailey examines socio-economic change in Liberia, Africa's first black republic, through the prism of citizenship. Marking how historical policy changes on citizenship and contemporary public discourse on dual citizenship have impacted development policy and practice, she reveals that as Liberia transformed from a country of immigration to one of emigration, so too did the nature of citizenship, thus influencing claims for and against dual citizenship. In this engaging contribution to scholarly and policy debates about citizenship as a continuum of inclusion and exclusion, and development as a process of both amelioration and degeneration, Pailey develops a new model for conceptualising citizenship within the context of crisis-affected states. In doing so, she offers a postcolonial critique of the neoliberal framing of diasporas and donors as the panacea to post-war reconstruction.

Recenzje

'Pailey's theoretical work emerges from a multidisciplinary framing and a deep exploration of Liberia's history. This is one of the best aspects of this book. She expertly combines history, politics, and development analysis with her empirical data in ways that broaden, trouble, and critique existing theories. This expands both the fields of political science and Liberian studies, as well as making the book both accessible and suitable for praxis.' Caree Banton, Perspectives on Politics

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Methodological, Theoretical, and Biographical Reflections; 2. The Political Economy of Belonging to Liberia; 3. Dual Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa; 4. Give Me Your Land or I'll Shoot!; 5. Between Rootedness and Rootlessness; 6. The Dichotomy of Diasporic Developmentalism; Conclusion; Appendix I. A Proposed Act to Establish Dual Citizenship for Liberians by Birth and Background; Appendix II. Dual Citizen and Nationality Act of 2019; Appendix III. Proposition #1: To Amend Article 28 of the Constitution to Provide for the Inalienability of the Citizenship of Natural Born Citizens of Liberia (Dual Citizenship).