Civil Society and Democracy in Nigeria

This book examines the complex relationship between the state and civil society and the impact that this has had on democratization processes in Nigeria from colonial times to the present. Expanding notions of democracy, the author builds a theoretical understanding of civil society to show how it can be both antithetical to and an ally of the state in the struggle for democratization. Combining the neo-Gramscian framework with discursive perspectives from Habermas and Foucault, the book takes a dialectical approach that traces the incarnations of the state and civil society and relates the mutual connections of the two spaces. This book will be of interest to scholars of African politics, democratization and civil society.

Bernard Nwosu is a political scientist. He obtained a PhD in Political Science from the University of Waikato New Zealand. He currently teaches Development Studies and Political Science at the University of Nigeria in Enugu state. His previous work on democratization had been listed by Taylor and Francis as one of the leading works in African studies.

Introduction Chapter 1: Hegelian and Marxian Discourses on State and Civil Society Chapter 2: Gramsci, Civil Society and Democracy Chapter 3: Habermas, Foucault: Discourses on Civil Society and Democracy Chapter 4: Dialectics of Political Change Chapter 5: Relations of forces in State and Civil Society: Synthesis and assumptions Chapter 6: Relations of Forces and Authoritarian Outcomes Chapter 7: Crises, State Mediation and Change Chapter 8: State, Civil Society and the Institutionalisation of Democracy Chapter 9: Conclusion References Index