The Politics of History in Contemporary Africa

The Politics of History in Contemporary Africa

Author: M. Eze

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2010-07-19

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0230110045

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This book mediates a dialectics between power and subjectivity versus history and politics. The invention of Africa is not merely a residue of Africa's encounter with Europe but a project in continuity in contemporary history of Africa, where history has become a location of struggle and meaning, a location of power and domination. Eze contends that postcolonial African studies that thrive by way of unanimity, analogy, or homogenenity are merely advancing a "defeatist" historicism. It attempts to gain essence by inverting the terms of colonial discourse and is decisively implicated in the very logic of coloniality. This method of historiography not only stifles the overall socio-political imagination of contemporary Africa but offers a dogmatic blueprint for politics of domination. Eze argues that a chance for an African Renaissance is dependent on review mechanisms of African historiography.


Book Synopsis The Politics of History in Contemporary Africa by : M. Eze

Download or read book The Politics of History in Contemporary Africa written by M. Eze and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-07-19 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book mediates a dialectics between power and subjectivity versus history and politics. The invention of Africa is not merely a residue of Africa's encounter with Europe but a project in continuity in contemporary history of Africa, where history has become a location of struggle and meaning, a location of power and domination. Eze contends that postcolonial African studies that thrive by way of unanimity, analogy, or homogenenity are merely advancing a "defeatist" historicism. It attempts to gain essence by inverting the terms of colonial discourse and is decisively implicated in the very logic of coloniality. This method of historiography not only stifles the overall socio-political imagination of contemporary Africa but offers a dogmatic blueprint for politics of domination. Eze argues that a chance for an African Renaissance is dependent on review mechanisms of African historiography.

Intellectual History in Contemporary South Africa

Intellectual History in Contemporary South Africa

Author: M. Eze

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-04-30

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 0230109691

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In examining the intellectual history in contemporary South Africa, Eze engages with the emergence of ubuntu as one discourse that has become a mirror and aftermath of South Africa s overall historical narrative. This book interrogates a triple socio-political representation of ubuntu as a displacement narrative for South Africa s colonial consciousness; as offering a new national imaginary through its inclusive consciousness, in which different, competing, and often antagonistic memories and histories are accommodated; and as offering a historicity in which the past is transformed as a symbol of hope for the present and the future. This book offers a model for African intellectual history indignant to polemics but constitutive of creative historicism and healthy humanism.


Book Synopsis Intellectual History in Contemporary South Africa by : M. Eze

Download or read book Intellectual History in Contemporary South Africa written by M. Eze and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In examining the intellectual history in contemporary South Africa, Eze engages with the emergence of ubuntu as one discourse that has become a mirror and aftermath of South Africa s overall historical narrative. This book interrogates a triple socio-political representation of ubuntu as a displacement narrative for South Africa s colonial consciousness; as offering a new national imaginary through its inclusive consciousness, in which different, competing, and often antagonistic memories and histories are accommodated; and as offering a historicity in which the past is transformed as a symbol of hope for the present and the future. This book offers a model for African intellectual history indignant to polemics but constitutive of creative historicism and healthy humanism.

Recasting the Past

Recasting the Past

Author: Derek R. Peterson

Publisher:

Published: 2009-09-15

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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The study of intellectual history in Africa is in its infancy. We know very little about what Africa’s thinkers made of their times. Recasting the Past brings one field of intellectual endeavor into view. The book takes its place alongside a small but growing literature that highlights how, in autobiographies, historical writing, fiction, and other literary genres, African writers intervened creatively in their political world. The past has already been worked over by the African interpreters that the present volume brings into view. African brokers—pastors, journalists, kingmakers, religious dissidents, politicians, entrepreneurs all—have been doing research, conducting interviews, reading archives, and presenting their results to critical audiences. Their scholarly work makes it impossible to think of African history as an inert entity awaiting the attention of professional historians. Professionals take their place in a broader field of interpretation, where Africans are already reifying, editing, and representing the past. The essays collected in Recasting the Past study the warp and weft of Africa’s homespun historical work. Contributors trace the strands of discourse from which historical entrepreneurs drew, highlighting the sources of inspiration and reference that enlivened their work. By illuminating the conventions of the past, Africa’s history writers set their contemporary constituents on a path toward a particular future. History writing was a means by which entrepreneurs conjured up constituencies, claimed legitimate authority, and mobilized people around a cause. By illuminating the spheres of debate in which Africa’s own scholars participated, Recasting the Past repositions the practice of modern history.


Book Synopsis Recasting the Past by : Derek R. Peterson

Download or read book Recasting the Past written by Derek R. Peterson and published by . This book was released on 2009-09-15 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of intellectual history in Africa is in its infancy. We know very little about what Africa’s thinkers made of their times. Recasting the Past brings one field of intellectual endeavor into view. The book takes its place alongside a small but growing literature that highlights how, in autobiographies, historical writing, fiction, and other literary genres, African writers intervened creatively in their political world. The past has already been worked over by the African interpreters that the present volume brings into view. African brokers—pastors, journalists, kingmakers, religious dissidents, politicians, entrepreneurs all—have been doing research, conducting interviews, reading archives, and presenting their results to critical audiences. Their scholarly work makes it impossible to think of African history as an inert entity awaiting the attention of professional historians. Professionals take their place in a broader field of interpretation, where Africans are already reifying, editing, and representing the past. The essays collected in Recasting the Past study the warp and weft of Africa’s homespun historical work. Contributors trace the strands of discourse from which historical entrepreneurs drew, highlighting the sources of inspiration and reference that enlivened their work. By illuminating the conventions of the past, Africa’s history writers set their contemporary constituents on a path toward a particular future. History writing was a means by which entrepreneurs conjured up constituencies, claimed legitimate authority, and mobilized people around a cause. By illuminating the spheres of debate in which Africa’s own scholars participated, Recasting the Past repositions the practice of modern history.

The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa

The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa

Author: Cassandra Mark-Thiesen

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2021-12-06

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 3110655314

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Essays in Memory of Jan-Georg Deutsch The volume observes some of the principles that drove Prof. Jan-Georg Deutsch's research: highlighting present-day politics for the way they shape historical remembrance, learning from people on the ground through fieldwork and oral history, and bringing various parts of the African continent into discussion with one another. From Cape Town to Charlottesville, many societies are grappling with historical consciousness and the production of public memory. In particular, how and why societies remember and forget, what should serve as symbols of collective memory, and whether there exists space for multiple memory cultures are questions being vigorously debated once again. These discussions present particular challenges not only to official memory bound to ideological constructions of nationhood but also to the teaching of history and its links to social justice movements. The volume re-centres Africa and African history in memory studies, with each chapter drawing parallels to comparable cases in Africa and the world. An underlying assumption is that what can be learned from the politics of historical memory in Africa will have relevance for contemporary politics globally and for understanding how memories can be mobilised for political ends.


Book Synopsis The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa by : Cassandra Mark-Thiesen

Download or read book The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa written by Cassandra Mark-Thiesen and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2021-12-06 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays in Memory of Jan-Georg Deutsch The volume observes some of the principles that drove Prof. Jan-Georg Deutsch's research: highlighting present-day politics for the way they shape historical remembrance, learning from people on the ground through fieldwork and oral history, and bringing various parts of the African continent into discussion with one another. From Cape Town to Charlottesville, many societies are grappling with historical consciousness and the production of public memory. In particular, how and why societies remember and forget, what should serve as symbols of collective memory, and whether there exists space for multiple memory cultures are questions being vigorously debated once again. These discussions present particular challenges not only to official memory bound to ideological constructions of nationhood but also to the teaching of history and its links to social justice movements. The volume re-centres Africa and African history in memory studies, with each chapter drawing parallels to comparable cases in Africa and the world. An underlying assumption is that what can be learned from the politics of historical memory in Africa will have relevance for contemporary politics globally and for understanding how memories can be mobilised for political ends.

Worlds of Power

Worlds of Power

Author: Stephen Ellis

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780195220162

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With Christian revivals (including Evangelicals in the White House), Islamic radicalism and the revitalisation of traditional religions it is clear that the world is not heading towards a community of secular states. Nowhere are religious thought and political practice more closely intertwined than in Africa. African migrants in Europe and America who send home money to build churches and mosques, African politicians who consult diviners, guerrilla fighters who believe that amulets can protect them from bullets, and ordinary people who seek ritual healing: all of these are applying religious ideas to everyday problems of existence, at every level of society. Far from falling off the map of the world, Africa is today a leading centre of Christianity and a growing field of Islamic activism, while African traditional religions are gaining converts in the West. One cannot understand the politics of the present without taking religious thought seriously. Stories about witches, miracles, or people returning from the dead incite political action. In Africa religious belief has a huge impact on politics, from the top of society to the bottom. Religious ideas show what people actually think about the world and how to deal with it. Ellis and Ter Haar maintain that the specific content of religious thought has to be mastered if we are to grasp the political significance of religion in Africa today, but their book also informs our understanding of the relationship between religion and political practice in general.


Book Synopsis Worlds of Power by : Stephen Ellis

Download or read book Worlds of Power written by Stephen Ellis and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2004 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Christian revivals (including Evangelicals in the White House), Islamic radicalism and the revitalisation of traditional religions it is clear that the world is not heading towards a community of secular states. Nowhere are religious thought and political practice more closely intertwined than in Africa. African migrants in Europe and America who send home money to build churches and mosques, African politicians who consult diviners, guerrilla fighters who believe that amulets can protect them from bullets, and ordinary people who seek ritual healing: all of these are applying religious ideas to everyday problems of existence, at every level of society. Far from falling off the map of the world, Africa is today a leading centre of Christianity and a growing field of Islamic activism, while African traditional religions are gaining converts in the West. One cannot understand the politics of the present without taking religious thought seriously. Stories about witches, miracles, or people returning from the dead incite political action. In Africa religious belief has a huge impact on politics, from the top of society to the bottom. Religious ideas show what people actually think about the world and how to deal with it. Ellis and Ter Haar maintain that the specific content of religious thought has to be mastered if we are to grasp the political significance of religion in Africa today, but their book also informs our understanding of the relationship between religion and political practice in general.

Contemporary Africa

Contemporary Africa

Author: Matthew Graham

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-10-12

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1350311286

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This textbook offers a critical introduction to the study of Africa, drawing on scholarship from a range of academic disciplines. A comprehensive discussion of the continent's geography and history provides a backdrop to broad-ranging coverage of its social, economic, political and cultural composition as well as its future prospects. Moreover, moving beyond the all-too-common tendency to view Africa as a single, homogeneous entity, Graham provides a nuanced overview that challenges preconceptions and stereotypes. Written in a sophisticated yet accessible style, and supported by a range of pedagogical features, this book introduces undergraduate students from a range of different disciplinary backgrounds to the contemporary study of Africa.


Book Synopsis Contemporary Africa by : Matthew Graham

Download or read book Contemporary Africa written by Matthew Graham and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-12 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook offers a critical introduction to the study of Africa, drawing on scholarship from a range of academic disciplines. A comprehensive discussion of the continent's geography and history provides a backdrop to broad-ranging coverage of its social, economic, political and cultural composition as well as its future prospects. Moreover, moving beyond the all-too-common tendency to view Africa as a single, homogeneous entity, Graham provides a nuanced overview that challenges preconceptions and stereotypes. Written in a sophisticated yet accessible style, and supported by a range of pedagogical features, this book introduces undergraduate students from a range of different disciplinary backgrounds to the contemporary study of Africa.

Contemporary African Politics

Contemporary African Politics

Author: Bamidele A. Ojo

Publisher: University Press of America

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780761813286

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Eight papers from a November 1997 panel in Philadelphia provide a wide range of perspectives on the transition to democracy across the continent, which has been a major focus of attention since the end of the cold war. Some of the political scientist authors consider Africa as a whole, exploring such topics as the democratic discourse in international relations, the military, and economic recovery. Others look in particular at Uganda, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Synopsis Contemporary African Politics by : Bamidele A. Ojo

Download or read book Contemporary African Politics written by Bamidele A. Ojo and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 1999 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eight papers from a November 1997 panel in Philadelphia provide a wide range of perspectives on the transition to democracy across the continent, which has been a major focus of attention since the end of the cold war. Some of the political scientist authors consider Africa as a whole, exploring such topics as the democratic discourse in international relations, the military, and economic recovery. Others look in particular at Uganda, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Africa since 1940

Africa since 1940

Author: Frederick Cooper

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-10-10

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1107651344

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Frederick Cooper's book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa is part of the textbook series New Approaches to African History. This text will help students understand the historical process out of which Africa's position in the world has emerged. Bridging the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, it allows readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify and how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders sought to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other.


Book Synopsis Africa since 1940 by : Frederick Cooper

Download or read book Africa since 1940 written by Frederick Cooper and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frederick Cooper's book on the history of decolonization and independence in Africa is part of the textbook series New Approaches to African History. This text will help students understand the historical process out of which Africa's position in the world has emerged. Bridging the divide between colonial and post-colonial history, it allows readers to see just what political independence did and did not signify and how men and women, peasants and workers, religious leaders and local leaders sought to refashion the way they lived, worked, and interacted with each other.

Contemporary Africa

Contemporary Africa

Author: Toyin Falola

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 1004

ISBN-13:

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Contemporary Africa, edited by Toyin Falola captures the challenges, optimism and problems that face modern Africa, notably those of economic underdevelopment and political instability. African countries seek various answers, and they have recorded varying degrees of success as they attempt to unite their peoples to build strong nations, develop their economies, and stabilize their politics. Failures have equally been recorded in a number of places, although these have not prevented the search for new solutions nor dampened the enthusiasm of Africans in liberating themselves from poverty. Among the leading issues that the volume pays attention to are: the achievements of independence, the colonial legacy, Africa's place in global affairs, economic development, political instability, and the challenges of renewal in the 21st century. This is the fifth volume in a series of textbooks entitled Africa. Contributors to the volumes are African Studies teachers from a variety of schools and settings. Writing from their individual areas of expertise, these authors work together to break stereotypes about Africa, focusing instead on the substantive issues of the African past from the perspectives of Africans themselves. The organization of the books is flexible enough to suit the needs of any instructor, and the texts include illustrations, maps and timelines to make cultural and historical movements clearer. Suggestions for further reading that will help students broaden their own interests are also included. Africa challenges the accepted ways of studying Africa and encourages students who are eager to learn about the diversity of the African experience.


Book Synopsis Contemporary Africa by : Toyin Falola

Download or read book Contemporary Africa written by Toyin Falola and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 1004 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary Africa, edited by Toyin Falola captures the challenges, optimism and problems that face modern Africa, notably those of economic underdevelopment and political instability. African countries seek various answers, and they have recorded varying degrees of success as they attempt to unite their peoples to build strong nations, develop their economies, and stabilize their politics. Failures have equally been recorded in a number of places, although these have not prevented the search for new solutions nor dampened the enthusiasm of Africans in liberating themselves from poverty. Among the leading issues that the volume pays attention to are: the achievements of independence, the colonial legacy, Africa's place in global affairs, economic development, political instability, and the challenges of renewal in the 21st century. This is the fifth volume in a series of textbooks entitled Africa. Contributors to the volumes are African Studies teachers from a variety of schools and settings. Writing from their individual areas of expertise, these authors work together to break stereotypes about Africa, focusing instead on the substantive issues of the African past from the perspectives of Africans themselves. The organization of the books is flexible enough to suit the needs of any instructor, and the texts include illustrations, maps and timelines to make cultural and historical movements clearer. Suggestions for further reading that will help students broaden their own interests are also included. Africa challenges the accepted ways of studying Africa and encourages students who are eager to learn about the diversity of the African experience.

Reframing Contemporary Africa

Reframing Contemporary Africa

Author: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele

Publisher: CQ Press

Published: 2010-01-19

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780872894075

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It is impossible to study Africa without understanding the debate about how to study Africa. At last, a book showcases the complexities and paradoxes of Africa’s recent and more distant history, while avoiding simplistic, Eurocentric conceptualizations of “black Africa.” With this book, Peyi Soyinka-Aiwerele and Rita Kiki Edozie offer students the background and perspectives they need to comprehend the dynamics of the continent as well as a clear path through the current literature and scholarly debate. With a cross-disciplinary approach that features political, historical, and economic analysis as well as popular culture and sociological views on contemporary issues, Reframing Contemporary Africa provides an unparalleled breadth of coverage. Essays written by a distinguished and international group of scholars—including William Ackah, Pius Adesanmi, Susan Craddock, Caroline Elkins, Siba Grovogui, Mahmood Mamdani, Mutua Makau, Celestin Monga, Wole Soyinka, and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza—are designed to distill original scholarship for undergraduate readers. Each contribution helps students engage with the work and arguments of luminaries while exposing them to renowned African thinkers. Contributors deliver analysis that allows students to see beyond the clichés commonly presented in the media (and even in scholarship), and helpful section openers by Soyinka-Airewele and Edozie frame forthcoming chapters, giving important thematic and historical context. Reframing Contemporary Africa will certainly provoke new debate and reflection, not merely about African issues and politics, but also about the West and its framing of Africa.


Book Synopsis Reframing Contemporary Africa by : Peyi Soyinka-Airewele

Download or read book Reframing Contemporary Africa written by Peyi Soyinka-Airewele and published by CQ Press. This book was released on 2010-01-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is impossible to study Africa without understanding the debate about how to study Africa. At last, a book showcases the complexities and paradoxes of Africa’s recent and more distant history, while avoiding simplistic, Eurocentric conceptualizations of “black Africa.” With this book, Peyi Soyinka-Aiwerele and Rita Kiki Edozie offer students the background and perspectives they need to comprehend the dynamics of the continent as well as a clear path through the current literature and scholarly debate. With a cross-disciplinary approach that features political, historical, and economic analysis as well as popular culture and sociological views on contemporary issues, Reframing Contemporary Africa provides an unparalleled breadth of coverage. Essays written by a distinguished and international group of scholars—including William Ackah, Pius Adesanmi, Susan Craddock, Caroline Elkins, Siba Grovogui, Mahmood Mamdani, Mutua Makau, Celestin Monga, Wole Soyinka, and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza—are designed to distill original scholarship for undergraduate readers. Each contribution helps students engage with the work and arguments of luminaries while exposing them to renowned African thinkers. Contributors deliver analysis that allows students to see beyond the clichés commonly presented in the media (and even in scholarship), and helpful section openers by Soyinka-Airewele and Edozie frame forthcoming chapters, giving important thematic and historical context. Reframing Contemporary Africa will certainly provoke new debate and reflection, not merely about African issues and politics, but also about the West and its framing of Africa.