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Rathbone, Richard. 2000. NKRUMAH & THE CHIEFS: THE POLITICS OF CHIEFTAINCY IN GHANA 1950-60. Athens: Ohio University Press. 176 pp.
Although book reviewers should begin their endeavors without preconceptions, after reading the Preface of this book I was sure I would enjoy it. I was not disappointed. Richard Rathbone is a highly regarded scholar about the history and politics of the Gold Coast and Ghana. He has many years of research experience, has produced several important publications, and has made extensive use of a variety of primary sources that include government documents, memoirs, biographies, newspapers, and personal interviews. Furthermore, he applies clear, analytical language in his studies. Nkrumah & the Chiefs is no exception, and it is an expanded study of previous studies about the political transformation of the Gold Coast to independent Ghana.
The focus of this work is a political analysis of the status and roles of traditional rulers in transition from colonialism to the postcolonial era, especially from 1940 to 1959, although references are made at the end to the period immediately after the 1966 coup d'etat. Professor Rathbone raises and extensively discusses several fundamental issues about the efficiency and viability of political institutions and processes that have...