African regionalisms: exploring the drivers and actors

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the literature on comparative regionalism, in particular the scholarship on African regionalisms. It aim is to discuss the way in which scholarship on comparative regionalism may contribute to an understanding of the drivers of and actors in regionalism and their impact on asymmetrical development in Africa. The chapter distinguishes between regionalism and regionalization, where the former focuses on the process of region formation, and the latter refers to the increase of relationships of various sorts across a geographical area. It is argued that regions are not fixed entities, but should be seen as responses to a changing environment, where political, economic and social considerations play a role. The drivers of regionalisms are grouped into four categories (material, ideational, political and external), which operate either individually or in interaction. As to actors in regionalism, the chapter identifies states, domestic actors and individual action. Different theoretical perspectives privilege the role of some of these actors over others in regional frameworks.