Conclusion

The book demonstrated the nation stateNation state, its normative assumptions and its challenges in particular in relation to managing politically mobilized cleavagesCleavages. It also discussed how five federal and devolved systems in Africa have tried to manage the cleavages in their respective countries. While some mix is unavoidable, the choice is between integration (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa) and AccommodationAccommodation (Ethiopia, that largely remained a promise).