Ethnicity and Integration

Abstract

Traditional, diverse communities in Africa have largely been viewed as impediments to the integration of the new and broader post-1960 political arrangements. This view has been sustained by the supposed particularistic tendency of these usually ethnic-based entities. Nevertheless, reevaluations of older communities within the new states increasingly show the former to be a legitimate vehicle for political participation. By focusing on the political kingdom of Ashanti in contemporary Ghana, this analysis illustrates the resilience and adaptability of ethnic phenomena to modern political requirements. These phenomena often provide bases for continuity, broad participation, and stability in the modern political setting. At the same time, the prominence of functional adaptability on the part of ethnic groups has direct and often positive implications for political integration in contemporary Ghana.