Wing s focus on constitutional legitimacy and literacy is a very welcome addition to analyses of democratic development on the African continent. She offers a rich discussion of the actual functioning of the new institutions and demonstrates not only the innovations of the forums but also the great challenges that citizens face in accessing them. Wing s innovative analysis of constitutionalism in Mali . . .offer[s] important insights into the development of democracy that are relevant far beyond the case [she] investigates. - Perspectives on Politics
This is an important and defining book about democratization in Africa focusing on the case of Mali, but within a comparative African perspective. Dr. Wing has a new and exciting perspective on the themes of democracy, constitutionalism, participation, and legitimacy, and Constructing African Democracy: Mali in Transition can be a real landmark in the field of comparative democratization in Africa, and in the study of constitutional transformation in plural societies. - Bruce Magnusson, Professor of Politics, Whitman College