The Institute of African Studies invites you to join us for a presentation from research scholar, Ernest Harsch. This renowned scholar of West African politics will present his book, Corruption, Class, & Politics in Ghana.
About the Book
Drawing on decades of research and interviews with Ghanaian officials and activists, Ernest Harsch focuses closely on corruption’s political implications: that is, how political actors use concerns about graft and related misdeeds to advance their own agendas. Harsch also considers social dimensions: class, ethnicity, gender, and other distinctions. While elite perspectives are well represented in official records, this book pays particular attention to voices from below, expressed through popular demonstrations, strikes, and other rebellious actions. In addition, activists have produced or collected hundreds of original protest declarations, petitions, reports, and letters. Those documents reveal that ordinary Ghanaians have opposed corruption not so much because it distorts markets—a central complaint of external and elite actors—but because it makes their daily living conditions so much harder and deepens inequities by disproportionately benefiting those with wealth and harming those without.
Accessing the Event
We are pleased to offer this event both in-person at the Institute and on Zoom!
If you do not have a Columbia University ID or another means of accessing the Morningside campus, we encourage you to join us online for this exciting discussion.
