Law and the Public Sphere in Africa

A pioneering collection of essays that casts “an invigorating light on law, politics, public language and social practice in modern Africa” ( Africa ). Jean Godefroy Bidima’s La Palabre examines the traditional African institution of palaver as a way to create dialogue and open exchange in an effort to resolve conflict and promote democracy. In the wake of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and the gacaca courts in Rwanda, Bidima offers a compelling model of how to develop an Af