How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa
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...
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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.
Acknowledgments ixIntroduction: Of Subjectivity and Sociocryonics 1Part I Colonialism1 Colonialism: A Philosophical Profile 212 Running Aground on Colonial Shores: The Saga of Modernity and Colonialism 493 Prophets without Honor: African Apostles of Modernity in the Nineteenth Century 984 Reading the Colonizer's Mind: Lord Lugard and the Philosophical Foundations of British Colonialism 128Part II The Aftermath5 The Legal Legacy: Twilight before Dawn 1576 Two Modern African Constitutions 202Part III Looking Forward7 Globalization: Doing It Right This Time Around 237Conclusion 273Notes 275Selected Bibliography 323Index 329
\ American Historical Review"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." —American Historical Review, April 2011\ \ \ \ \ Africa"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." —Africa, Vol. 81.3, 2011\ \
