LOLA JACOBS ASSIGNMENTS © 2024
ICH4801
ASSIGNMENT NO: 02
YEAR : 2024
PREVIEW:
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
Colonialism is the practice where a foreign power establishes control over a
territory, exploiting it economically and politically. This often involves the
domination of the local population, suppression of indigenous cultures, and
imposition of the colonizer's culture and systems of governance.
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as the persistent legacy of colonialism that
continues to affect societies even after political independence. It refers to entrenched
social and cultural practices, power dynamics, and knowledge systems that
perpetuate the dominance of colonial ideologies and structures
, LOLA JACOBS ASSIGNMENTS © 2024
SECTION A: COMPULSORY SECTION Question 1 [40 marks]
Question 1(a) (20 marks) – compulsory
Read the 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 follows.
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
, LOLA JACOBS ASSIGNMENTS © 2024
(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 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.
ICH4801
ASSIGNMENT NO: 02
YEAR : 2024
PREVIEW:
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
Colonialism is the practice where a foreign power establishes control over a
territory, exploiting it economically and politically. This often involves the
domination of the local population, suppression of indigenous cultures, and
imposition of the colonizer's culture and systems of governance.
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as the persistent legacy of colonialism that
continues to affect societies even after political independence. It refers to entrenched
social and cultural practices, power dynamics, and knowledge systems that
perpetuate the dominance of colonial ideologies and structures
, LOLA JACOBS ASSIGNMENTS © 2024
SECTION A: COMPULSORY SECTION Question 1 [40 marks]
Question 1(a) (20 marks) – compulsory
Read the 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 follows.
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
, LOLA JACOBS ASSIGNMENTS © 2024
(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 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.
