Adebayo Olukoshi, Research Professor of International Economic Relations and Director for Africa and West Asia, International IDEA

"Amidst long-standing intellectual contestations on how to interpret the African world, this book offers a path-breaking approach which eschews the imperialistic readings of the continent with stylised Western lenses and a romanticised response which idealises African culture and tradition. Students and policy makers interested in an alternative approach to understanding African dynamics that transcends the old and tired prisms of Afro-pessimism and Afro-optimism will find much in this book that is both refreshing and stimulating."