Across Africa, a burgeoning middle class has become the poster child for the 'Africa rising' narrative. Ambitious, aspirational and increasingly affluent, this group is said to embody the values and hopes of the new Africa, with international bodies ranging from the United Nations Development Programme to the World Bank regarding them as important agents of both economic development and democratic change. This narrative, however, obscures the complex and often ambiguous role that this group actually plays in African societies.

Bringing together economists, political scientists, anthropologists and development experts, and spanning a variety of case studies from across the continent, this collection provides a much-needed corrective to the received wisdom within development circles, and provides a fresh perspective on social transformations in contemporary Africa.

Henning Melber, a political scientist and sociologist, is the van Zyl Slabbert visiting professor for sociology and political sciences at the University of Cape Town. He is senior advisor at the Nordic Africa Institute and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, having previously held directorships in both institutions. He is also extraordinary professor at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Pretoria and the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, as well as a senior research fellow at the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London. From 1992 to 2000, he was director of the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU).

Melber has been co-editor of the Africa Yearbook since its first publication in 2005, is managing co-editor of Africa Spectrum and editor-in-chief of the Strategic Review for Southern Africa. His latest publications include (as co-editor) Peace Diplomacy, Global Justice and International Agency (2014) and (as author) Understanding Namibia (2015) and A Decade of Namibia (2016).
Henning Melber, a political scientist and sociologist, is the van Zyl Slabbert visiting professor for sociology and political sciences at the University of Cape Town. He is senior advisor at the Nordic Africa Institute and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, having previously held directorships in both institutions. He is also extraordinary professor at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Pretoria and the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, as well as a senior research fellow at the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London. From 1992 to 2000, he was director of the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU).

Melber has been co-editor of the Africa Yearbook since its first publication in 2005, is managing co-editor of Africa Spectrum and editor-in-chief of the Strategic Review for Southern Africa. His latest publications include (as co-editor) Peace Diplomacy, Global Justice and International Agency (2014) and (as author) Understanding Namibia (2015) and A Decade of Namibia (2016).