
African Middle Classes and Social Protest
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 17. November 2025
Book
Hardback
120 pages
978-1-041-14144-0 (ISBN)
Description
This book explores class formation and political consciousness in contemporary Africa. It challenges prevailing narratives by examining the nuanced emergence of middle-class identities across Africa since the early 2000s.
Initially viewed through a narrow economic lens focused on income thresholds, the concept of an "African middle class" has evolved into a rich field of inquiry. This collection moves past superficial analyses to explore the lived experiences, political orientations, and social consciousness of these diverse groups. Through meticulously researched case studies spanning multiple countries, contributors from sociology, anthropology, and political science reveal the fragile and contradictory nature of middle-class formation in Africa. The volume interrogates how factors beyond economic criteria-including education, consumption patterns, cultural capital, and political engagement-shape class identity and social movements.
This essential text demystifies uncritical notions of "African middle classness" while providing empirical depth to our understanding of how these emerging social segments navigate complex sociopolitical landscapes. Scholars and students of development studies, African Studies, and class analysis will find this collection indispensable for understanding the intersection of class formation and political consciousness in contemporary Africa.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Contemporary African Studies.
Initially viewed through a narrow economic lens focused on income thresholds, the concept of an "African middle class" has evolved into a rich field of inquiry. This collection moves past superficial analyses to explore the lived experiences, political orientations, and social consciousness of these diverse groups. Through meticulously researched case studies spanning multiple countries, contributors from sociology, anthropology, and political science reveal the fragile and contradictory nature of middle-class formation in Africa. The volume interrogates how factors beyond economic criteria-including education, consumption patterns, cultural capital, and political engagement-shape class identity and social movements.
This essential text demystifies uncritical notions of "African middle classness" while providing empirical depth to our understanding of how these emerging social segments navigate complex sociopolitical landscapes. Scholars and students of development studies, African Studies, and class analysis will find this collection indispensable for understanding the intersection of class formation and political consciousness in contemporary Africa.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Contemporary African Studies.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate, Undergraduate Advanced, and Undergraduate Core
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
420 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-041-14144-0 (9781041141440)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Antje Daniel | Henning Melber | Florian Stoll
African Middle Classes and Social Protest
E-Book
11/2025
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download

Antje Daniel | Henning Melber | Florian Stoll
African Middle Classes and Social Protest
E-Book
11/2025
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download
Persons
Antje Daniel is Senior Researcher at the Department of Development Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria, and is affiliated with the University of Nuernberg-Erlangen and the Center of Social Change in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Henning Melber is Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa; Senior Research Fellow with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the University of London; and a Resident Associate with the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden.
Florian Stoll is Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology, Yale University, United States.
Henning Melber is Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa; Senior Research Fellow with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the University of London; and a Resident Associate with the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden.
Florian Stoll is Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology, Yale University, United States.
Content
Introduction: African middle classness, politics and protest: on the context of this issue 1. Social protest and the middle class in Ghana: a social movement approach of three cases 2. The rise of an 'indocile middle class' in Cameroon 3. How political is the 'middle class' in Kenya? 4. The middle class and suburbia: desegregation towards non-racialism in South Africa? 5. South Africa's black middle classes between 2009 and 2018 6. Under pressure: South Africa's middle classes and the 'rebellion of the poor' 7. Explorations into middle class urbanites, social movements and political dynamics: impressions from Namibia's capital, Windhoek 8. Education and politics: student activism for elite recruitment in Kenya