Some Major Themes in the Study of Constitutionalism and Democracy in Africa

We have now been through two decades since the onset of what has been deemed the 'second liberation' of Africa. In these two decades, interest in the study of constitutionalism has been gaining momentum and an increasing body of scholarly literature is being produced on constitutionalism and multi-party democracy in African states. Though an exhaustive treatment of this literature in a single paper is impossible, in this paper an attempt will be made to identify and highlight some of the major themes in the comparative constitutional law and democratization scholarship focused on Africa. Specifically, four themes will be identified and discussed. These are: i) autochthony and cultural contextualization of constitutionalism, ii) executive hegemony and imperial presidencies, iii) economic critiques and discontents with the liberal democratic model and iv) the effects and accommodation of ethnicity.