In the General’s Valley: China and the New Politics of African Development

• In Event: 239 - Regular Session. Development

Abstract

The rise of China as a new force in African development is one of the most significant political shifts in sub-Saharan Africa in the postcolonial era. What is largely missing from China-Africa scholarship to date is attention to how Chinese development assistance is affecting everyday social relations. This paper examines these issues in a rural setting in Uganda that is on the brink of a massive scale-up of Chinese government funded business development. As such, this paper provides an unusual analysis of the social foundation on which a large Chinese-funded development project is built. It reveals the complex new politics of Chinese development assistance in Africa and the implications these politics have for the lives of ordinary Africans.

Author

• Robert Wyrod, University of Colorado Boulder