Prof. Ian Taylor
The New Scramble for Africa
Abstract
In recent times, there has been growing international interest in Africa, so much so that there is now talk of a “New Scramble for Africa.” The continent has emerged as a hugely important source of oil in the global economy as well as an increasingly important region in international relations. Whilst it might be argued that there is nothing particularly new about the new “Scramble”, an identifiable configuration is clearly emerging. Old and new actors such as China, Brazil, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea etc. are aggressively competing and seeking access across the continent. It is not a re-play of the 19th century, but Africa’s resources are being increasingly exploited by competing international actors, all with the active complicity of African actors. Where this will place Africa in the Twenty-first Century is of foremost importance to the continent.
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http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/intrel/staff/index.php/ict.html
Prof. Goran Hyden
Is Africa finally rising? Responses to the Second Scramble
Abstract
How do Africans respond to the challenges of the “second scramble”? Is the continent better prepared for integration into the global economy than it was hundred years ago? What are the strengths and weaknesses on the ground today? Acknowledging that there is great variation on the continent and that some countries are likely to respond better than others, this paper will, nonetheless, try to make some general points about what is happening. To provide empirical evidence to support the arguments, the paper will look more specifically at four areas that are of special significance for understanding African responses: (a) governance, (b) gender and civil society, (c) the middle class/bourgeoisie, and (d) land and tenure. These areas will all provide interesting, albeit often conflicting, evidence of African responses to the growing interest of the rest of the world in the continent.
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