Research

In my book, Beyond Ethnic Politics in Africa (2016 Cambridge University Press), I examine why we find ethnic voting blocs in some ethnically diverse societies but not in others. Despite the common assumption about the primacy of ethnicity in electoral politics in Africa, I show that in some contexts ethnicity translates into vote choice, but in other cases none of the dimensions of ethnic identity determine electoral preferences, and I explain why this is the case. I argue that whether or not ethnicity is electorally salient depends not on ethnic composition but on the structure of social bonds. Specifically, I suggest that the bonds between local leaders and their followers, what I call hierarchical ties, have crucial implications for electoral politics.  Drawing on fieldwork in Senegal and Benin, conducted between 2005-7, coupled with extensive historical analysis of the onset of mass politics in 1950s Africa I show that ethnic mobilization was not a ubiquitous strategy. Instead, where there were strong local leaders they served as intermediaries between politicians and voters and were willing to support politicians across ethnic lines, depending on the candidates’ ability to provide rewards.