A book on African state-building. This book attempts to explain the lack of robust institutions and the prevalence of state failure in Africa. The work is heavily influenced by the scholarship of Charles Tilly and Max Weber. Both writers emphasize the role of war in the consolidation of state power over well-defined territories.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The challenge of state-building in Africa -- Power and space in precolonial Africa -- The Europeans and the African problem -- The political kingdom in independent Africa -- National design and the broadcasting of power -- Chiefs, states, and the land -- The coin and the African realm -- The politics of migration and citizenship -- The past and the future of state power in Africa.