The Politics of Ethnicity in Malawi's Democratic Transition

Deborah Kaspin

185 citations0/0 files storedThe Journal of Modern African Studies

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African Studies and Ethnography African history and culture studies Political Conflict and Governance

Abstract

While the western media were directing their gaze towards South Africa's political restructuring, another democratic transition was taking place to the north that was no less remarkable and no more imaginable a few years ago. Since Malawi obtained independence in 1964, it had been governed by Dr Hastings Banda (as he was then known) and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) under a system of absolute rule which the country's élites refused to reform or relinquish. In March 1992 the Catholic bishops issued a formal protest against President H. Kamuzu Banda's political high-handedness, initiating a popular movement for democratic reform and anti-régime demonstrations by university students and staff, as well as factory workers.1 When additional pressure was exerted by the international community, holding foreign aid hostage to democratisation, the Government finally yielded, holding a referendum for multi-party democracy in June 1993 that led to presidential and parliamentary elections in May 1994. Banda and the MCP were ousted, Bakili Muluzi and the United Democratic Front (UDF) were elected, and Malawians of all parties revelled in the freedom to be openly, aggressively political.

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References

1985Imagined Communities. Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism 1987'There ain't no black in the Union Jack' : the cultural politics of race and nation 1995Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism 1989The Creation of Tribalism in Southern Africa 1988Annual review of anthropology 1991Making National Cultures In The Global Ecumene 1986Revival and Rebellion in Colonial Central Africa.1989The Creation of tribalism in Southern Africa

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2017Ethnic Diversity, Segregation and Ethnocentric Trust in Africa 2016Nationalism and Ethnic-Based Trust 1999The specification of ethnic cleavages and ethnopolitical groups for the analysis of democratic competition in contemporary Africa 2016Beyond Ethnic Politics in Africa 2012The Institutional Origins of Ethnic Violence 2007Support for Democracy in Malawi: Does Schooling Matter?

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