ICH4801 ASSIGNMENT 2
2024 (322543) - DUE 21
JUNE 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
[DATE]
[Company address]
,ICH4801 Assignment 2 2024 (322543) - DUE 21 June 2024
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 20
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 (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.
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
3. Explain the difference between colonialism and coloniality. (2)
4. Sketch the sociohistorical background of colonialism and coloniality in the South African
context. (4)
5. Do you agree with the colonial policies that were implemented by European powers?
Substantiate your answer. (4)
6. How does the legacy of apartheid remain a structural element in postcolonial South
Africa? (6) [20] ICH4801/101/02024 21
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
Colonialism refers to the practice where a foreign power establishes control over another
country, exploiting it economically, politically, and culturally. This domination often involves
settling in the colonized country, imposing the colonizer's culture and systems, and maintaining
power through various forms of oppression and suppression of the local population's autonomy.
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as the enduring patterns of power, culture, and social
relations that persist even after the end of formal colonial rule. It refers to the institutionalized
2024 (322543) - DUE 21
JUNE 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
[DATE]
[Company address]
,ICH4801 Assignment 2 2024 (322543) - DUE 21 June 2024
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 20
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 (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.
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
3. Explain the difference between colonialism and coloniality. (2)
4. Sketch the sociohistorical background of colonialism and coloniality in the South African
context. (4)
5. Do you agree with the colonial policies that were implemented by European powers?
Substantiate your answer. (4)
6. How does the legacy of apartheid remain a structural element in postcolonial South
Africa? (6) [20] ICH4801/101/02024 21
1. Define “colonialism” in your own words. (2)
Colonialism refers to the practice where a foreign power establishes control over another
country, exploiting it economically, politically, and culturally. This domination often involves
settling in the colonized country, imposing the colonizer's culture and systems, and maintaining
power through various forms of oppression and suppression of the local population's autonomy.
2. How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality? (2)
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as the enduring patterns of power, culture, and social
relations that persist even after the end of formal colonial rule. It refers to the institutionalized
