Description
Concerned with what has kept Africa ensnared within colonial matrices of power, Ndlovu-Gatsheni (development studies, U. of South Africa; director of the Archie Mafeje Research Institute--AMRI) spells out Africa's past and present in terms of external interventions and internal responses. He points the way to Africa's options, supporting new responses that will lead to a better future. Discussion includes global imperial designs and pan-Africanism, subjection and subjectivity in South Africa, coloniality of knowledge and higher education, and the African National Project, among other topics. The conclusion addresses the global crisis and Africa today. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Global imperial designs, which have been in place since conquest by western powers, did not suddenly evaporate after decolonization. Global coloniality as a leitmotif of the empire became the order of the day, with its invisible technologies of subjugation continuing to reproduce Africa’s subaltern position, a position characterized by perceived deficits ranging from a lack of civilization, a lack of writing and a lack of history to a lack of development, a lack of human rights and a lack of democracy. The author’s sharply critical perspective reveals how this epistemology of alterity has kept Africa ensnared within colonial matrices of power, serving to justify external interventions in African affairs, including the interference with liberation struggles and disregard for African positions. Evaluating the quality of African responses and available options, the author opens up a new horizon that includes cognitive justice and new humanism.
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