Post-Independence African Citizenship:
A Theoretical Appraisal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12700/jceeas.2026.6.1.471Keywords:
Citizenship, Classical Theories of Citizenship, Post-Independence Africa, Theoretical AppraisalAbstract
Citizenship can be conceptualized from various eras of African history which include pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods (Lonsdale, 2019). This study is committed to appraise the status and practice of post-independence citizenship through the classical theories of citizenship, namely: Liberal, Republican, and Communitarian. Methodologically, a desk-based approach with the critical-analytical method is employed, and qualitative data is collected from secondary sources. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative data analysis techniques. In post-independence Africa citizenship re-emerged with the formation of new states in the early 1960s (Melber, et. al., 2020), and the study found that the bizarre and deleterious form and substance of citizenship has made theorizing citizenship in post-independence Africa very challenging, because in most African states the ruling classes are insulated from the masses with cumulative sins and malpractices of injustice accompanied by deep-rooted neopatrimonialism (Cooper, 2005). Hence, the study recommended a form of citizenship that accommodates both rights-based and ethnic identities in Africa
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