Although there is a growing body of literature on the process and
potential political consequences of class-formation in Africa, there are
virtually no detailed studies of the political attitudes and behaviour
of African industrial workers. First published in 1978, this study
analyses the political history and sociology of one particular group -
the railway workers of Ghana's third city, Sekondi-Takoradi, who are
renowned for their leading role in the Ghanaian nationalist movement and
for their sustained opposition to the elitism and authoritarianism of
post-Independence governments. In seeking to explain the ideological
consistency which has informed the political activities of the railway
workers, Richard Jeffries shows how, within a close-knit and relatively
stable community, a keen sense of their own history has provided the
basis for a shared political culture.