African Middle Classes and Social Protest

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.

List of contents

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

About the author

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.

Product details

• Authors: Antje Melber Daniel
• Assisted by: Antje Daniel (Editor), Melber Henning (Editor), Florian Stoll (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 17.11.2025
• EAN: 9781041141440
• ISBN: 978-1-0-4114144-0
• No. of pages: 120
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, HISTORY / Africa / General, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Development / Economic Development, Southern Africa, Regional Studies, Pressure groups, protest movements and non-violent action, Regional / International studies, African History, Development economics & emerging economies, Demonstrations & protest movements, Development economics and emerging economies, Industrialisation & Industrial History, Industrialisation and industrial history, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / African Studies