Divine kingship of Asante: a model for sustainable development of self and community
Abstract
This thesis is predicated on these objectives: to study the nature and history of
Asante divine kingship; investigate whether the kingship is a model for sustainable
political, social and economic development of self and community and of the
environment of Asante; whether the kingship’s administrative principles provide
adequate philosophy and training for Asante and other political leaders to address
the political challenges of Asante and the rest of the world. Assumptions were made
to make the researcher focus on these objectives. The research questions include
why is the kingship a model for sustainable political, social and economic
development of self and community, and of the environment in Asante? Do the
kingship administrative principles provide adequate philosophy and training for
Asante and other political leaders to address the political challenges facing the
world? The research design is mainly phenomenological and descriptive. Random and
nonrandom sampling techniques were employed to select a sample size of 300 from a
population of a little more than 4,000,000 people. However, 275 people responded to
questions. Information was obtained from libraries and the field. The data collection
instruments were interviews, questionnaire, and opinionnaire. The data were
organized, analyzed and interpreted with the aid of maps, pictures, statistical tables,
bar and pie- charts. The findings reveal that the kingship is theocratic. The king is
believed to be God’s viceroy. The kingship has existed since the pre-colonial
period. It is largely a model for sustainable political, social and economic
development of self and community, and of the environment of Asante. But today
the environment is being degraded. The kingship’s administrative principles greatly
provide adequate philosophy and training for Asante and other political leaders to
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address political challenges facing the world. Advantages and disadvantages emanate
from the kingship but the former outweigh the latter. And this thesis is important
because it deals with a kingship that largely helps to develop human and
environmental resources. Finally, recommendations intended to make the kingship
a better model for sustainable political, social and economic development of self and
community and of the environment have been made
Description
A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in African Art and Culture,