Part I. African Experience of Federal Building: Historical Background -- Federalism and Colonialism: History, Practice and Lessons from Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland -- Federalism and Expansion: The Collapse of the Federal Experiment in Cameroon and Aftermath -- Part II. African Experience of Federal Building: Contemporaneity -- “The Black’s Man Burden”: The Nigerian Federation as a Paradox -- Forcing Union: The Federal Takeover of Eritrea in Historical Perspective -- Decentralization under Apartheid and Democracy: South Africa as a Unitary Federation -- The Comoros: An Island Federalism -- Part III. African Alternatives to Federalism: Decentralization of Unitary Contexts -- Clan Federalism in Somalia -- “The Kurds of Africa”: How the Tuaregs Were Left without Their Own State.

This book examines the challenges and opportunities of administrative and territorial reconstruction in Africa from independence until the present time. In light of the rise of separatist movements in various African states and the ethnic, linguistic, and religious heterogeneity of many African societies, the book sheds new light on the fragmentation and decentralization of the African continent. The authors analyze the mechanisms, forms, and models of decentralization practiced today in Africa, taking into account both federalist and unitary experiences of decentralization, and discuss the potential of federalism to resolve conflicts within the continent. The generalizations made in the course of such an analysis can significantly enrich the current vision of the development of the African continent and its future prospects. The book will appeal to scholars and students of political science and African studies.