This thesis argues that we can no longer ignore elite’s enrolment of institutions in rendering what they do intelligible as political outcomes in our understanding of African politics. The complex interdependency between elites and institution inheres into politics in ways political practices and actions are fabricated as permissible in the state of affair. This interaction is best understood through Actor-Network Theory (ANT) which essentializes hybridization in its conceptualization of the world. In this network thinking, transitional elites align and advance their interests through translating and enrolling institutions in the process of democratization.
The analysis draws from Nigeria’s democratization experience to bring together the institutional components of the state and leadership, i.e. elites, which have been mostly analyzed as separate entities in the study of democratization. The actor-network theory is used both as a conceptual frame and as a method for analyzing democratization as an outcome of the content of the two main societal forces— elite and institution. The actor-network theory’s, developed by Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, and their collaborators, flat ontology provides a way to bypass agency/structure dichotomy to inscribe network thinking in relations of democratization in Africa. The actor-network was originally theorized by Focault but not nurtured and, therefore, muted in his governmentality study.
In this view, this thesis builds on the explanatory potentials of network analysis that enable a socio-technical account of political transition with all those particularities, contradictions and surprising turn of events. The “old-guard autocrats” in politics in Nigeria is used as the human element of the network. The non-human element is operationalized through the institutionalized power sharing norm and political patronage relationships. The analysis thus recognizes the interaction between the human (elites) and the non-human (institution) as actors that define adaptive and emergent characters of democratization.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Working Hypothesis
1.2 Obligatory Passage Point (OPP): The “Old Guard Autocrats”
1.3 Chapters Organization
2 Literature Review
2.1 The Classical Democracy Terminology
2.2 Contemporary Democracy Conceptualization
2.3 Approaches to Democracy
2.3.1 Structural Approach
2.3.2 Contingent Approach
2.3.3 International Approach
2.4 The Paradox of Post-Cold War Democratization in Africa
2.5 Conclusion
3 Theoretical Consideration
3.1 Actor Network Theory (ANT)
4 Methodology
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Epistemological and Ontological Aspects
4.3 Paradigm of Inquiry: The Rationale for Actor-Network Analysis and Qualitative Inquiry
4.4 The Process of Conducting the Study
4.4.1 Research Question and Assumption
4.4.2 The “Old-Guard Autocrats” in Politics
4.5 Plan and Instrumentation
4.5.1 Commencement and Initial Problems
4.5.2 Theoretical Classifications
4.5.3 Cognitive
4.5.4 Political and Cultural Circumstances
4.5.5 Assessing Data
4.6 Conclusion
5 The Interpretation of Actors in the “spaces of negotiation”: Interessement, Enrollment and Inscription
5.1 The Human Element: Interessement and Enrollment
5.1.2 The Politics of Affect and the Influx of Retired Military Officers in Politics
5.1.2.1 Affective Reaction as Enrollment: the Acceptance of Interest as Focal Actor
5.2 Enrolling the Non-Human Element: Institutions as Actor
5.2.1 Institutional Arrangements: the Subject, Object and Informal Institutions
5.3 Conclusion
6 Performing Political Transition: A Socio-Technical Account
6.1 The Socio-Technical Account of Political Transition
6.1.2 The Landscape: Macro Level Political Culture and Social Values
6.1.3 The Meso-Level Regime of Power-Sharing
6.1.4 The Micro Level─Actors and Local Practices
6.1.5 Conclusion
7 Conclusion
7.1 Summary
7.2 Is Democracy Possible in Post-Colonial States?
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this dissertation is to examine the complex interdependency between agency (elites) and structure (institutions) within the context of Nigeria's political transition. The work investigates how focal political actors, specifically "old-guard autocrats," navigate and manipulate institutions to maintain dominance and shape political outcomes, challenging dominant approaches that treat actors and institutions as separate entities.
- The dialectical relationship between human agency (elites) and structural institutions.
- Application of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to analyze political democratization.
- The impact of "old-guard autocrats" on contemporary Nigerian political systems.
- The role of "spaces of negotiation" and "affective solidarity" in elite political networks.
- Socio-technical accounts of political transition and power-sharing mechanisms.
Excerpt from the Book
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
For more than three decades, political change has been largely studied through the lenses of emergent and transformative social change theories, thus sequencing it in a particular teleological action course. For instance, scholars have explored the causes of political change (Wiseman 1995; Lipset 1959; Almond and Verba 1963; Dahl 1971; Moore 1966), modes of transition to democracy (Guillermo O’Donnell 1979; Huntington 1991; Linz 1990, 1993; Higley and Burton 1989; Edvarsen 1987, DiPalma 1990) and the characteristics of new political systems (Linde 2009, Koonings and Kruijt, 2002), conceptualizing political change as a short sequence of action on the part of agents or structures.
Although these theories have supplied us with complex theoretical models to diagnose the role of the state and how it adapts to shifting global realities, the elite and how it responds to the crisis of change through self-transformation and the requisites of democracy, they are tentative in their appreciation of the interaction between interpersonal rules and personal values. The assumption is that: Personal values have implications on the functioning of institutions to the same extent that institutions constrain individual actions. Therefore, this thesis addresses itself to the complex interdependency between agency and structure by examining elite’s enrolment of institutions in rendering what they do intelligible as political outcomes that is how elites work with and through institution in shaping political reality in Nigeria.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Establishes the research territory by discussing the background and establishing the areas of focus, including the research hypothesis.
2 Literature Review: Reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on democracy and democratization in formerly authoritarian states.
3 Theoretical Consideration: Presents an account of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and examines its applicability to analyzing relationships between human agency and structural patterns in political transition.
4 Methodology: Details the research methodology, including the epistemological and ontological aspects, the rationale for ANT, and the process of conducting the study.
5 The Interpretation of Actors in the “spaces of negotiation”: Interessement, Enrollment and Inscription: Provides a systematic analysis of human and non-human elements, specifically focusing on "political affect" and the inscription of institutions.
6 Performing Political Transition: A Socio-Technical Account: Extends the analysis to describe democratization through alternating patterns of intermittent social reorganization, applying complex adaptive system theory.
7 Conclusion: Restates the core argument regarding the interdependency of personal values and institutions, and discusses implications for democracy promotion in post-colonial societies.
Keywords
Actor-Network Theory, Agency, Structure, Nigeria, Political Transition, Democratization, Elite, Old-Guard Autocrats, Institutions, Patron-Client Relations, Spaces of Negotiation, Socio-Technical Account, Power-Sharing, Post-Colonial State, Political Affect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research focuses on the dialectical relationship between agency (specifically elites) and structure (institutions) in the context of political transition in Nigeria, using Actor-Network Theory to explain how political reality is shaped.
What are the primary themes explored in the dissertation?
The main themes include elite dominance, the persistence of authoritarian remnants in a democracy, the role of informal institutions, and the concept of "spaces of negotiation" as a way to understand political transformation.
What is the main research question?
The study seeks to address how "old-guard autocrats" attempt to maintain power within a democratic system, specifically asking how they build political networks and what impacts these networks have on the quality of democracy.
Which methodology is utilized?
The dissertation employs a qualitative methodology, grounded in the "strategic research design" to study politicized social structures, and uses Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as both a theoretical and analytical lens.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers the literature on democracy, the theoretical framework of ANT, detailed research methodology, analysis of human (elites) and non-human (institutions) actants, and a socio-technical account of political transition.
What characterises the key terminology?
Key terms include "old-guard autocrats" (focal actors), "obligatory passage point," "spaces of negotiation," "affective solidarity," and "socio-technical systems."
How do "old-guard autocrats" influence Nigeria's democracy?
The work suggests they act as focal actors who manipulate institutional arrangements and patron-client networks to protect their vested interests, thereby shaping the "transitory nature" of Nigeria's democratization.
What role does "affective solidarity" play in this study?
Affective solidarity is used to explain the connections and interactions of the "old-guard autocrats" in politics, suggesting that their participation is driven by shared experiences and a hierarchical tradition from their military past rather than just an organized political pattern.
Why is the "spaces of negotiation" concept significant?
It represents the configuration of relations between individual elite values and institutions, providing the framework for how socio-political transformation is defined and produced in the Nigerian polity.
- Citation du texte
- Samson Ajagbe (Auteur), 2015, The dialectics of agency and structure in transitional democracy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/301526
