Islam, rentier states and the quest for democracy in Africa [Ressource électronique]

Islam and rentierism in Africa present a challenge to the process of democratization. Concomitant with religion, Islamist movements, terrorism, conflicts over petrodollars, and the anthropomorphic nature of these nation states are issues and questions involving the combined effects of Islam and rentier politics on the efficacy of state-citizen interaction. Contrary to the position of some political observers that Islam and rentierism tend to distort the democratization process because they enhance hegemony maintenance of those in power, Asumah argues that Islam supported by rentierism could produce reasonable stability for political liberalization. Case studies from Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and Libya are used to analyze the effects of Islam and rentier politics on these nation states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Western Journal of Black Studies is the property of Washington State University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)