Focusing on individual political thinkers and beginning with indigenous African political thought, the book successively examines African nationalism, African socialism, populism and Marxism, Africanism and pan-Africanism, concluding with contemporary perspectives on democracy, development and the African state.

The book is organized thematically as a comprehensive overview of both indigenous and modern African political thought

Introduction: African Political Thought, from Antiquity to the Present 1. The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and Institutions, from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century 2. The Influence of Islamic Values and Ideas on Indigenous African Political Systems and Institutions, from the Tenth to the Nineteenth Centuries 3. African Theories and Ideologies of Westernization, Modernization and Liberal Democracy, From Early West African Nationalism to African Humanism 4. Pan-Africanism and African Unity: From Ideal to Practice 5. The Socialist-Populist Ideology I: Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions 6. The Socialist-Populist Ideology II: Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions 7. The Populist-Socialist Ideology: Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions 8. The Africanist-Populist Ideology: Popular Democracy and Development in Africa Conclusion: The Transformative Power of Ideas and Values: Toward Peace, Development and Democracy in Africa