Consensus and Federalism in Contemporary African Political Philosophy

Kalumba, Kibujjo M.

doi:10.1080/05568641.2015.1014542

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Consensual democracy, as conceived by Wiredu, is characterized as a political system in which there are no identified political parties and decisions are primarily reached by consensus. The viability of consensual democracy for contemporary African societies has been debated extensively in the literature (Ani, 2014;Ani & Etieyibo, 2020;Eze, 1997;Kalumba, 2015;Matolino, 2009Matolino, , 2013Matolino, , 2018Matolino, , 2020).…”

Section: Wiredu On ' the Will To Consensus'mentioning

confidence: 99%

The will to consensus

Kwesi

2024

The Philosophical Forum

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In a democracy, when a group of deliberators have a set of differing (and contrary) views and beliefs about a particular policy or action, p, a recommended course of action is for them to pursue, and ultimately reach, a consensus on p. The pursuit of consensus allows deliberators to ‘reach over the aisle’ in accommodating dissenting views through rational dialogue until a consensual agreement is reached by all the deliberators. What fuels this pursuit of consensus is the ‘will to consensus’—a ‘frame of mind’ or a ‘disposition’ to resolve disagreements into a consensus. In this paper, I will raise some conceptual problems with positing a ‘will to consensus’ that is prior to, and supervenes on, the rational discussion of deliberators. Instead of a ‘will to consensus’, democratic theorists should be content with the minimal claim of a ‘will to dialogue’.

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Section: Wiredu On ' the Will To Consensus'mentioning

confidence: 99%

The will to consensus

Kwesi

2024

The Philosophical Forum

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“…It is considered as a rejection of, and antithetical to, the multi‐party majoritarian system of governance, which is characterized by adversarial politics, a winner‐takes‐it‐all phenomenon, and the exercise of power in a few people at the exclusion of many others. The viability of consensual democracy for contemporary African societies has been debated extensively in the literature (Ajei, 2016; Ani, 2014; Ani & Etieyibo, 2020; Eze, 1997; Kalumba, 2015; Matolino, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2020). Despite criticisms against the proposal, the call for the institution of consensual democracy in the politics of contemporary African societies, and the argument for the relevancy and the appropriation of some traditional moral and political institutions and practices for contemporary African democratic practices have been ignited in recent times.…”

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confidence: 99%

Africa in search of democracy: Contemporary perspectives

Kwesi

2024

The Philosophical Forum

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Contemporary African societies are still struggling not only with transitioning to democracy but more importantly consolidating the gains of democracy and strengthening principal democratic values and institutions. The erosion of democratic values and the weakening of democratic institutions in some countries, the frequent coup d'état and toppling of democratically elected governments coupled with violence during elections, the lack of proper representation of the people in parliaments and governments, and the curtailment of the open participation of the people in democratic processes-all attest to Africa's struggles with deepening and strengthening democracy on the continent.In the analysis of some African thinkers, like Kwasi Wiredu, Africa's problems with democracy can be traceable to the form or type of democracy that it inherited from the colonial powers after independence, and that a more authentic and suitable form of democracy for Africa is one that is both rooted in the indigenous political practices of pre-colonial African societies and fashioned according to African political values and ideals.

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The Consensus Project and Three Levels of Deliberation

Ani

2018

Dialogue

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The basic argument is that the consensus debate has not been very meaningful until now because consensus has not been closely studied as a concept, and deliberation has not been studied precisely in terms of the propensity to reach common agreement. In particular, deliberation—as well as issues for deliberation—has not been categorized into different levels with a view to exposing the varying challenges of reaching common agreement and the kinds of deliberative approaches entailed in each category. In this research, I attempt to provide this categorization in order to clarify the debate.

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Consensus and Federalism in Contemporary African Political Philosophy

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

The will to consensus

The will to consensus

Africa in search of democracy: Contemporary perspectives

The Consensus Project and Three Levels of Deliberation

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