Goran Hyden's Theorizing in Comparative Politics: Democratization in Africa offers a compelling critique of the dominance of Western-centric theories in the study of political systems. Focusing on Africa's unique political trajectories, Hyden challenges the universal application of Western democratic models and calls for a comparative politics framework that centres local histories, pre-colonial legacies and governance realities. His work is a bold reminder of the discipline's need to transcend its fixation on democratisation metrics and normative ideals.

One of the book's core contributions lies in its critique of the democratic theory lens that has dominated the study of comparative politics. Hyden argues that this focus has narrowed the scope of inquiry to evaluating how well countries approximate Western models of democracy, often at the expense of understanding how and why political systems change. As Hyden puts it, ‘Comparative Politics has been turned almost exclusively into comparative democratization – at the expense of attention to how and why countries change’ (p. 135). This critique resonates with the broader concerns of scholars seeking to move beyond normative evaluations and towards analyses that engage with the lived realities of governance in diverse contexts.

Hyden's analysis of African politics disrupts linear narratives of state development by emphasising how colonial legacies, pre-colonial governance structures and post-independence challenges converge to produce varied political systems. Using East Africa as a case study, he illustrates how Kenya's competitive clientelism, Tanzania's monopolist movement system, Uganda's fractured neopatrimonialism and Rwanda's authoritarian modernism reflect unique adaptations to governance rather than failures to replicate Western models (chapter 8). These adaptations, Hyden argues, are attempts to reconcile inherited colonial structures with the imperatives of local legitimacy, a process he aptly describes as ‘fraught with difficulties stemming from the challenges of building and managing the state-nation’ (p. 116).

Another pivotal argument is Hyden's critique of institutional fetishism in democratisation studies. While institutions are often treated as formal and fixed, Hyden emphasises their informality and rootedness in human practice, noting that they are ‘part and parcel of how individuals think and act’ (p. 140). In Africa, where regimes are still in the making, these informal arrangements often sustain political stability amid competing social forces. By contextualising institutions within their socio-political environments, Hyden offers a more dynamic framework for understanding governance.

Hyden also dismantles the myth of ideology-driven political parties in Africa. Unlike the left-right spectrum dominant in Western party politics, African parties often operate pragmatically, prioritising personal leadership and social interactions over ideological coherence. This absence of entrenched ideological divisions, Hyden contends, reflects the region's focus on coalition-building and resource allocation, underscoring the fluidity and adaptability of its political systems.

The book's concluding chapters propose a realist turn in comparative politics, advocating for theories grounded in the lived realities of developing regions rather than abstract normative ideals. Hyden critiques the field's reliance on ‘scales that do not take into consideration where countries come from in their effort to democratize’ (p. 152). By setting developed and developing countries side by side, comparative research often conflates vastly different trajectories and structural constraints. Hyden calls for a shift from moralism to realism, urging scholars to focus on socio-economic structures, power dynamics and reciprocal causality as the building blocks of a more inclusive and robust comparative theory.

While the book is a remarkable contribution to the field, it occasionally leans heavily on theoretical critique at the expense of actionable alternatives. Hyden's emphasis on realism as a theoretical lens is valuable, but readers might wish for more concrete examples of how this perspective can reshape comparative analysis. Nonetheless, the book's strengths far outweigh this limitation, offering a rich and thought-provoking exploration of Africa's political landscape and its implications for the field of comparative politics.

Hyden's work is a clarion call for a more grounded and context-sensitive approach to theorising in comparative politics. By centring Africa's political realities, he exposes the limitations of prevailing frameworks and lays the groundwork for more inclusive and equitable analyses. Theorizing in Comparative Politics is an essential read for scholars and practitioners seeking to engage with the complexities of governance in a globalised world.