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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The political response to immiseration: a case study of rural Ghana |
Author: | Brown, David |
Year: | 1980 |
Periodical: | Genève-Afrique: acta africana |
Volume: | 18 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 55-74 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Ghana |
Subjects: | popular participation wealth |
Abstract: | Rising inflation, acute commodity shortages, decaying public amenities, and a high level of political and economic inequality are factors which produce severe frustration among all but the privileged elite. But the political manifestation of such frustration may vary. It may take the form, for example, of the rise of revolutionary class consciousness or of radical populism; it may, on the other hand, appear as a retreat into disillusionment and apathy, or even as a fatalistic acquiescence in the face of objective exploitation. The response depends not just on the political culture of the communities concerned, but also on the type of political options which are open at a particular time. This article attempts to explore some of these issues in the context of recent Ghanaian politics. The paper is based on field-work in Ghana during August and September 1979 as well as on previous research conducted in Ghana from August 1971 to August 1973. Notes, tab, maps, photos. |