Political Discourses in African Thought: 1860 to the Present

(Hardback)

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The dominant issues in African political thought from the 1960s onwards have been "development" and "socialism". In the present decade new issues have arisen such as democracy, civil society, the nation-state and the relevance of "traditional" political institutions. Typically, however, these new issues have been discussed in models of thought which already served in the 1960s or even before. Boele van Hensbroek aims to provide the necessary insight into the history of African political thought as well as an analytical framework to clarify contemporary African discourses on democracy. He proceeds in three steps. First, the most important discussions in the last 150 years are presented. A fascinating history emerges, from the great 19th century theorists such as Edward Blyden and Africanus Horton to prominent nationalists such as Kwame Nkrumah and Amilcar Cabral, and to contemporary African intellectuals. Second, the African history of ideas show that particular models of thought recur which can be reconstructed as three consistent "models" of thought. Finally, the relevance of the history of ideas and philosophical analysis of models of thought can be shown by providing a new perspective on contemporary debates on democracy in Africa.

Reviews

This is a remarkable essay on the question of modernity and tradition in African political thought. The context is the "great confrontation" with European and American "powers and ideas" from the nineteenth century to the present and the dilemmas this posed for Africans...Van Hensbroek's excellent diagnosis of African thought indicates that its bipolarity, shared by modernists, traditionalists, and socialists, misdirects African thought from the realities of Africa's contemporary terrain.-Intl Journal of African History Studies
This is an important work of synthesis.-American Historical Review
This is an important work of synthesis.American Historical Review
"This is an important work of synthesis."-American Historical Review
"This is a remarkable essay on the question of modernity and tradition in African political thought. The context is the "great confrontation" with European and American "powers and ideas" from the nineteenth century to the present and the dilemmas this posed for Africans...Van Hensbroek's excellent diagnosis of African thought indicates that its bipolarity, shared by modernists, traditionalists, and socialists, misdirects African thought from the realities of Africa's contemporary terrain."-Intl Journal of African History Studies

Author Bio

PIETER BOELE van HENSBROEK is Coordinator, Interuniversity Cooperation programs between the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and universities in Africa and Asia. Dr. Boele van Hensbroek has taught at several institutions, including three years at the University of Zambia. He is co-founder and editor of the African journal of philosophy Quest.