ICH4801 Assignment 4 Semester 2 (29 September 2023)
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Course
ICH4801 Assignment 4 Semester 2 (ICH4801)
Institution
University Of South Africa
1(a) (20 marks) – compulsory Read the given extract titled, “Colonialism,
coloniality and post-colonial Africa: a conceptual framework”, from chapter 7
of the prescribed book (Seroto, Davids & Wolhuter 2020) and then answer the
questions that follow. Colonialism, coloniality and post-colon...
SECTION A: COMPULSORY SECTION
Question 1 [40 marks]
1(a) (20 marks) – compulsory Read the given extract titled, “Colonialism,
coloniality and post-colonial Africa: a conceptual framework”, from chapter 7
of the prescribed book (Seroto, Davids & Wolhuter 2020) and then answer the
questions that follow. Colonialism, coloniality and post-colonial Africa: a
conceptual framework Post-colonial reconstruction of African societies cannot
be limited to political and economic transformation. Due to the predominance
of Western epistemologies and systems of education during and after
colonialism, the African masses often became oblivious to their forgotten
history. Western European colonial policies such as ‘assimilation’ (French)
and ‘assimilados’ (Portuguese) were based on a rejection of the local culture
and an adoption of a foreign, European culture – essentially a denial of an
African identity. The African elite that worked in close collaboration with the
colonial administration often became the main protagonists of European
culture. When a few African leaders met in Addis Ababa in 1963 to establish
the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the objective was to liberate the
continent from colonialism and apartheid. While apartheid was abolished in
1994, African countries remained largely dependent on foreign aid which
compromised their political and economic independence. Without achieving
its objectives, the OAU was dissolved in July 2002 and transformed into the
African Union (AU), which aimed to unite its fifty-three member-states
politically, socially and economically. The AU intended to address the old
African problems afresh through the promotion of democracy, good
governance and foreign investment (Carbone, 2002). For a long time, Africa
seems to have been suffering from the aftermath of colonialism, which has
posed serious challenges to its economic development and independence. The
colonial legacy left behind structural inequalities that were difficult to
eradicate. However, Smith argues that ‘there can be no social justice without
cognitive justice’ and calls for an ecology of knowledge(s) that enables
alternative ways of knowing and scientific knowledge to co-exist (Smith,
2012:214). The inspiration of an African Renaissance, which is mainly about
cultural and intellectual revitalisation, should become an integral part of
, transforming and reconstructing the socio-economic landscape of Africa.
Therefore, the restoration of Africa’s intellectual and cultural history needs to
be at the centre of political and economic reconstruction and should not be
treated in isolation. A common observation in previously colonised societies
during the post-colonial period is the patronising continuation of colonial
myths and stereotypes that represent the culture of the colonised as inferior
(Alvares, 1991). Colonial powers regarded Asian and African people as
belonging to ‘backward’ or ‘child races’, who were inherently inferior
because of their skin colour and perceived immorality, laziness, as well as a
disregard for the sacredness of human life (Kies, 1953). These stereotypes
became an integral part of the colonial educational systems. To maintain the
political and social dominance of the colonisers, the real history of colonies
was suppressed and replaced with the history of the coloniser, which was
alienating to the local populations. The continuation of a colonial worldview
and lifestyle after achieving political independence became a defining
characteristic of post-colonial Africa, which had to be confronted.
Conceptually, Maldonado-Torres (2007) explains the irony of colonial
continuity by drawing a distinction between ‘colonialism’ and ‘coloniality’.
Colonialism designates political and economic relations in which the power of
a people rests on a foreign colonial/ imperial power, while coloniality refers to
institutionalised colonialism, i.e. colonial practices, expressed in a
longstanding pattern of culture, social relations and knowledge production
(Maldonado-Torres, 2007). This duality between colonialism and coloniality
has previously been addressed by Mignolo (1999) who sees the imaginary of
the modern/ colonial world as a function of ‘colonial difference’ that operates
on a notion of a ‘coloniality of power’. Mignolo borrows the
ICH4801/102/0/2023 9 concept ‘double consciousness’ from WEB du Bois,
which captures the dilemma of subjectivities formed within the colonial
difference, i.e. the experience of anyone who has lived and lives modernity
from coloniality (Mignolo & Ennis, 1999:29–30). Double consciousness
becomes a crucial concept in explaining the ambivalence and tendencies of
liberated Africans towards colonialism.
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
"colonialism" refers to the political and economic domination of a foreign power
over a territory and its indigenous population. It involves the establishment and
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