A book titled, Revolution and Democracy in Ghana, the Politics of Jerry John Rawlings, is set to be launched on April 14, 2023 at the British Council auditorium in Accra at 4:00pm Ghana time.
The 363-page book analyses Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings’ plans for radical democratization in Ghana, involving ordinary people directly in the country’s political and economic decision-making processes.
The book published in March 2023, was authored by Jeff Haynes. It is from more than 35 years of research including 125 interviewers with notable figures during the late JJ Rawlings’ regime, many conducted by the author during Ghana’s revolution period in the 1990’s.
The book also talks about when Rawlings came to power in Ghana in late 1981, determined to restructure the characteristics of Ghana’s political and economic systems.
Despite Rawlings’ aim to bring ordinary Ghanaians into the decision-making process, his regime was still heavily dependent on the support of the military and attempts at direct democracy ultimately ended in failure.
Outside analysts have viewed his plans as one of Africa’s most draconian economic reform programmes. The book traces this turbulent period of Ghana’s history, showing Rawlings’ development from a fiery revolutionary to a democracy-supporting politician adept at winning elections.
It investigates how, despite frequent coup attempts and the loss of most of its original civilian support base, the regime was able to remain in power, overseeing a halt to economic decline and a return to growth.
Building on over thirty years of research, including contemporaneous interviews conducted by the author during Ghana’s ‘revolutionary’ period, this book will be of interest to researchers of African history and politics.
Jeffrey Haynes is emeritus professor of politics at London Metropolitan University, UK. His areas of expertise are religion and international relations, religion and politics, democracy and democratization, development studies, and comparative politics and globalization.
He is the author or editor of fifty-five books. The most recent are:Trump and the Politics of Neo-Nationalism: The Christian Right and Secular Nationalism in America (2021); Peace, Politics, and Religion (ed.) (2020); Religion, Conflict and Post-Secular Politics (2020); andRoutledge Handbook to Religion & Political Parties (ed.) (2020), Revolution and Democracy in Ghana: The Politics of Jerry John Rawlings (Routledge, 2023)
Haynes received the International Studies Association’s Religion and International Relations Section’s Distinguished Scholar award in 2016.
He is co-editor in chief of Democratization, editor in chief of the International Journal of Religion, and series editor of two book series, Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics(Routledge) and Religion and International Relations (Transnational Press London).
