Developmental consequences of identity-driven African studies

Abstract

In this article, we show how scholarly insistence on the preservation of a certain African tradition, heritage, or identity, inhibits agentic reflections and actions in response to contemporary developmental needs of African societies. This article attempts to answer this question: Of what use are the traditions, heritages and identities if they only enhance a sense of continental and cultural pride but do not enhance well-being, nor contribute to solving global human challenges? We argue that there is nothing special about traditional precolonial societies in Africa, except that: (i) they were traditional as different from modern; and (ii) they were precolonial. But they were not the only societies that had these features. Many scholars have ignored these facts because of a desire to emphasise Africa’s uniqueness in the face of, for instance, what is termed epistemic violence. We highlight three anti-development consequences of this approach for African studies. First, it normalises the marketisation of the knowledge-making process in Africa. Second, it justifies Wahbie Long’s submission that something is seriously wrong with African academia. Third, it inhibits agentic reflections and actions in response to the contemporary needs of African societies.