Moving beyond a self-indulgent attitude about Africa's historical victimhood, the book seeks
to capture how African states individually and Africa's collective institutions (the AU) are
providing agency in Africa's international relations. While African states have been
trailblazers in such ideas as 'The Responsibility to Protect', as conceived in the African
Union Constitutive Act (2001) which preceded the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's
report “In Larger Freedom”(2005) in which the UN adopted the concept, African agency in …

Beyond history deepens the contemporary discourse on African agency through presenting
a collection of 13 chapters on state and non-state manifestations of it. The book explores
examples of African agency in regional power dynamics and international relations within
multilateral institutions and beyond. The collection draws on a roster of esteemed scholars—
heavyweights in their respective fields––which affords readers a multidimensional
exploration of African agency. The book's timing and relevance are particularly salient given …