ABSTRACT
See the works of Issa Shivji, M. Mamdani, Colin Leys, John Saul, Terisa Turner, Michela von Freyhold, R. Kaplinski, S. Langdon and a host of others who made useful contributions to the initial debate on the post-colonial state. By 'positive role' we assume that the role a state plays in any social formation can either be 'negative' or 'positive'. If it is a popular state i.e., one which acts in the specific and general interest of the majority, then such a role is positive and vice versa. Ake has argued that the African bourgeoisie and the respective state structures they dominate, are obstacles to development in the continent. See his Revolutionary Pressures in Africa, Zed Press: London, 1978, pp. 65-77. For other works that have dealt with the problem of ethnicity see Nnoli, O. (1978), Ethnic Politics in Nigeria, Fourth Dimension: Enugu; Mamdani, M. (1976), Politics and Class Formation in Uganda, Monthly Review Press: New York; Mafeje, A. (1971), 'The Ideology of Tribalism', Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2; Magubane, B. M. (1969), 'Pluralism and Conflict Situations in Africa: A New Look', African Social Research, Vol. 7, No. 2 (June).
