How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa

by Olufemi Taiwo

Overview

Why hasn't Africa been able to respond to the challenges of modernity and
globalization? Going against the conventional wisdom that colonialism brought
modernity to Africa, Olúfémi Táíwò claims that Africa was already becoming modern
and that colonialism was an unfinished project. Africans aspired to liberal
democracy and the rule of law, but colonial officials aborted those efforts when
they established indirect rule in the service of the European powers. Táíwò looks
closely at modern institutions, such as church missionary societies, to recognize
African agency and the impulse toward progress. He insists that Africa can get back
on track and advocates a renewed engagement with modernity. Immigration, capitalism,
democracy, and globalization, if done right this time, can be tools that shape a
positive future for Africa.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253003973
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	01/11/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	547 KB

About the Author

Olúfémi Táíwò is Professor of Philosophy and Global African Studies and
Director of the Global African Studies Program at Seattle University. He is author
of Legal Naturalism: A Marxist Theory of Law.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Of Subjectivity and Sociocryonics

Part 1.
Colonialism1. Colonialism: A Philosophical Profile2. Running Aground on Colonial
Shores: The Saga of Modernity and Colonialism3. Prophets without Honor: African
Apostles of Modernity in the Nineteenth Century4. Reading the Colonizer's Mind: Lord
Lugard and the Philosophical Foundations of British
Colonialism

Part 2. The Aftermath5. The Legal Legacy: Twilight
Before Dawn6. Two Modern African Constitutions

Part 3. Looking
Forward7. Globalization: Doing It Right This Time
AroundConclusion

NotesSelected BibliographyIndex

What People are Saying About This

Columbia University - Souleymane Bachir Diagne

"This book is concerned with nothing less than the future of Africa."

Editorial Reviews

"This courageous book, written with verve, clarity and an impressive command of social theory, is essentially a work of 'philosophical history', a morally engaged analysis of Africa's contemporary predicament in the light of a particular, selective reading of its history. Vol. 81.3, 2011"

Africa

"This is undoubtebly a stimulating book... that deserves to be widely read. Its engagingly polemical style and provocative conclusions will no doubt enliven many a future seminar discussions.April 2011"

American Historical Review

The seven chapters in this book are based on a series of original essays and their various revisions, presented at numerous conferences in the US and abroad over an extended period of time (1992-2003), with updated revisions and footnotes through 2008. The basic focus is on 'the nature of the relations between Africa and modernity' with emphasis on Commonwealth Africa, particularly Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. Táíwò (philosophy and global African studies, Seattle Univ.) argues that 19th-century colonialism hampered the development of African modernization and notes various contributions Africans made to the process historically that were neglected or discounted. The major topics include a profile of colonialism, 19th-century African modernists, the philosophy of British colonialism, the legal legacy, two examples of modernity, and the process of globalization. The author provides extensive footnotes, a selective but useful bibliography, and an index. The almost exclusive focus on African topics and issues offers a new and unusual interpretation of the precolonial era. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. — Choice

M. E. Doro

"This courageous book, written with verve, clarity and an impressive command of social theory, is essentially a work of 'philosophical history', a morally engaged analysis of Africa's contemporary predicament in the light of a particular, selective reading of its history. Vol. 81.3, 2011"

Africa

"This book is concerned with nothing less than the future of Africa." —Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University

From the Publisher

"This book is concerned with nothing less than the future of Africa." —Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University

Souleymane Bachir Diagne