This three-volume encyclopedia is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on African politics ever produced. In over 100 peer-reviewed entries, readers will find authoritative overviews of the key methodologies and approaches, as well as all of the major topics in African politics, one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas of political science.

Under the editorial directorship of Nic Cheeseman and associate editors Rita Abrahamsen, Gilbert M. Khadiagala, Peace A. Medie, Rachel Beatty Riedl, and Etienne Smith, the Oxford Encyclopedia of African Politics brings together world-leading researchers from Africa, the United States, and Europe. The Encyclopedia features cutting-edge articles on a remarkably broad range of topics, and particular areas of strength include: political institutions; identity politics and the significance of ethnicity and religion; the African state and its strengths and weaknesses; development politics; economic policy and management; ideas and ideologies; international relations and regional politics; conflict, violence, and civil war; political and social movements; media and political communication; elections and democracy; research methods and approaches; and ethics and the politics of research.

Each piece is clearly written and provides a concise summary of the state of the art before drawing on new ideas and evidence to push the debate forward. The volume is therefore essential reading for all who seek to understand core and emerging topics within the vast and growing literature on African politics.

About the Author:
Nic Cheeseman is Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and was formerly the Director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. He mainly works on democracy, elections, and development and has conducted fieldwork in numerous African countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The articles that he has published based on this research have won a number of prizes, including the GIGA award for the best article in comparative area studies (2013) and the Frank Cass Award for the best article in democratization (2015). Professor Cheeseman is also the author or editor of ten books, including Democracy in Africa (2015), Institutions and Democracy in Africa (2017), How to Rig an Election (2018), and Coalitional Presidentialism in Comparative Perspective (2018). In addition, he is a former editor of the journal African Affairs and an advisor to and writer for Kofi Annan's African Progress Panel. In recognition of this academic and public contribution, the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom awarded him the prestigious Joni Lovenduski Prize for outstanding professional achievement by a midcareer scholar in 2019. A frequent commentator on African and global events, Professor Cheeseman's analysis has appeared in the Economist, Le Monde, the Financial Times, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the BBC, and the Daily Nation, and he writes a regular column for the Mail & Guardian. In total, his articles have been read over a million times. Many of his interviews and insights can be found on the website that he founded and co-edits, www.democracyinafrica.org.