Africa's Second Wave of Freedom represents the work of scholars who share a concern with the development of civil society in Africa. The first third of the book deals theoretically with the issues of democracy and stability in Africa. In particular, the contributors analyze the inadequacy of the United States' response to African problems (such as environmental decay, spiraling debt, and health epidemics) that do not respect national boundaries; the fragility of democracy in Africa and the danger of reversion to dictatorships; and the barriers to constitutional democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. The remainder of the book consists of case studies of various aspects of civil society from Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Contributions by: Adeyinka Adeyemi, Pauline H. Baker, John F. Clark, Robert Fatton, Anthony B. Gubbay, Peter Walshe, Harry G. West