Speaker: Professor Anne Pitcher
Speaker’s Synopsis: This presentation evaluates the state of democracy in South Africa over the last 25 years. How respected and stable are democratic institutions following the historic elections of 1994? Has the African National Congress, the ruling party, successfully addressed the harmful legacy of apartheid? Has the government realized the ideals of the country’s first, democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, to eradicate poverty and promote dignity? We focus on the 2019 National Elections to answer these questions.
Anne Pitcher is a Professor in the Departments of Political Science and
Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan. Her current research examines party politics, urban political economy, and state-business relations in Africa. She has conducted fieldwork, survey and archival research in Angola, Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa. She has published several books and dozens of articles in scholarly journals. She formerly served as President of the African Studies Association.