The African middle class(es) - in the middle of what?

This Briefing/Debate article critically engages with the middle class|phenomenon, which emerged as a prominent focus in|Development Studies a decade ago and has more recently also|become the subject of more informed African Studies, adding|necessary and more nuanced analysis.1 It critically examines the|background and assumptions of the debate, pointing out the lack|of class analysis, and suggests that the current focus still partly|distracts from the underlying issues.