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Inequality, Socio-cultural Differentiation and Social Structures in Africa

Beyond Class

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Offers a provocative hypothesis and challenges established views of African societies
  • Provides insight into ongoing theoretical debates, as well as an empirical basis for the new analytical framework
  • Brings together debates from sociology, social anthropology and political science that are usually presented separately

Part of the book series: Frontiers of Globalization (FOG)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

About this book

This book contends that conventional class concepts are not able to adequately capture social inequality and socio-cultural differentiation in Africa. Earlier empirical findings concerning ethnicity, neo-traditional authorities, patron-client relations, lifestyles, gender, social networks, informal social security, and even the older debate on class in Africa, have provided evidence that class concepts do not apply; yet these findings have mostly been ignored.


For an analysis of the social structures and persisting extreme inequality in African societies – and in other societies of the world – we need to go beyond class, consider the empirical realities and provincialise our conventional theories. This book develops a new framework for the analysis of social structure based on empirical findings and more nuanced approaches, including livelihood analysis and intersectionality, and will be useful for students and scholars in African studies and development studies, sociology, social anthropology, political science and geography.


Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

    Dieter Neubert

About the author

Dieter Neubert is a retired Professor of Sociology of Development at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Inequality, Socio-cultural Differentiation and Social Structures in Africa

  • Book Subtitle: Beyond Class

  • Authors: Dieter Neubert

  • Series Title: Frontiers of Globalization

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17111-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17110-0Published: 08 July 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17113-1Published: 14 August 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-17111-7Published: 25 June 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2946-3777

  • Series E-ISSN: 2946-3785

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 433

  • Number of Illustrations: 7 b/w illustrations, 1 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Social Structure, Social Inequality, African Culture, Sociology of Culture

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access