Corruption and Political Culture in Africa: History, Meaning, and the Problem of Naming
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Moses E. Ochonu
The ethical precision prescribed and codified by legal formulations on corruption conflicts with the on-ground difficulty of naming corruption in Africa. African state formations have been grappling with this tension since precolonial times, producing a crisis of naming and description that has mutated along with the nature and dynamics of the African state and its constitutive interests. This paper explores this tension from a transhistorical perspective. Using case studies from Nigeria and examples from Kenya and elsewhere, it examines the historical engagements of Africans, their institutions, and colonial power formations with ethics, morality, and corruption. The paper proceeds from this exploration to polemically intervene in some contemporary discourses and debates on corruption and the state in Africa. It uses the transhistorical analysis of the continuities and ruptures in corruption discourse and praxis to argue that the politics of naming is central to a comprehensive understanding of malfeasance and graft on the continent.
©2012 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Introduction
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Accountability of Corrupt Foreign Actors in Nigeria
- Corruption and Political Culture in Africa: History, Meaning, and the Problem of Naming
- The Pathology of Judicialization: Politics, Corruption and the Courts in Nigeria
- International Investment Arbitration and Corruption Claims: An Analysis of World Duty Free v. Kenya
- Canada's AntiForeign Bribery Regime Requires a Balancing Act
- Kenya's Long Anti-Corruption Agenda--1952-2010: Prospects and Challenges of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission under the 2010 Constitution
- When Law Fails: A Theory of Self-Enforcing Anti-Corruption Legislation in Africa
- Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials: The Impact of the UK Bribery Act 2010
- The Oil Industry and Africa: The Expanding Reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Introduction
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Accountability of Corrupt Foreign Actors in Nigeria
- Corruption and Political Culture in Africa: History, Meaning, and the Problem of Naming
- The Pathology of Judicialization: Politics, Corruption and the Courts in Nigeria
- International Investment Arbitration and Corruption Claims: An Analysis of World Duty Free v. Kenya
- Canada's AntiForeign Bribery Regime Requires a Balancing Act
- Kenya's Long Anti-Corruption Agenda--1952-2010: Prospects and Challenges of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission under the 2010 Constitution
- When Law Fails: A Theory of Self-Enforcing Anti-Corruption Legislation in Africa
- Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials: The Impact of the UK Bribery Act 2010
- The Oil Industry and Africa: The Expanding Reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
