ABSTRACT
The conceptual contribution, dimensions of statehood, is positioned among newer scholarly work that delves into the practical and conceptual aspects of statehood in Africa. This is an analytical move toward allowing those living and performing the state to attribute meaning to topics considered essential to everyday life. The study of public goods, both in meaning and practice, enables a space for expressing statehood. In short, a public good is a power relation rather than a universal, positive good. The study of public goods entails a deeper immersion into perceptions of what people themselves see as “public goods” and what “public” constitutes. Examining a city can provide an added analytical perspective to understanding intensified negotiations over public goods. In order to make sense of these ways of expressing statehood, the chapter finds that statehood can be seen as constituting (at least) three different dimensions: space, distinction, and ideology. The dimensions-of-statehood approach are seen in relation to each other and together can enable scholars to engage with a “thick” understanding of statehood. The dimensions are layers of abstraction, both concrete and abstract, on the mundane social processes that produce and reproduce statehood in Africa and beyond.
