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Q1: essentialism - NarayanWhat is essentialism? How has cultural essentialism been used to justify colonialist agendas?
Respond with reference to his understanding of western feminist’s essentialism.
ESSENTIALISM
A belief that things have a set of characteristics which make them what they are, and that the task of science
& philosophy is their discovery and expression;
the doctrine that essence is prior to existence.
Narayan attempts an essentialist understanding of feminism –
of a western nature
which poses as a problem:
essentialists notion of feminism is problematic for third world countries: cultural differences.
GENERAL ESSENTIALISM VS CULTURAL ESSENTIALISM
Cultural essentialism allocates the same injunction of universalist categories on things;
The construction of essentialist notions on western feminist
African woman never made their own version of feminism; they simply replicated the western imperialism!
Western influences dictated the concept of feminism.
ESSENTIALISM ECLIPSING REALITY
Essentialism eliminates the fact that cultures are based on HUMAN CONSTRUCTION
Anti-essentialist feminist can counter this notion by looking at culture and insisting on historical
understanding of the contexts at hand
Essential understandings of culture take cultures as given, not considering their
differing characteristics & unique elements.
AFRICA EASILY FALLS PRAY TO WESTERN IMPOSED IDEAS.
THIRD WORLD WOMAN ARE SEEN AS TRAITORS FOR IMPOSING WESTERN
VALUES & ENDORSING THEM WITHOUT BEING CRITICAL
Values in the third world & values in west differ – their definitions.
It is as a result of western imperialism that brought about these concepts – and thus they
aren’t suited to African ideals.
Colonials easily impose their ideals on others; but that still does not mean that
they advocated for an understanding of mutual aspects.
Thus the problem lies in the ESSENTIALIST understanding of the western & third-world
FEMINISITS MUST BECOME AWARE OF CULTURAL PLURALITY & FOCUS ON INTERNAL
PLURALITY BY TAKING ACCOUNT OF INETERNAL MULTIPLICITY
,CONCLUSION
There should be an understanding of feminism that is not quoted by western essentialism because it is
detrimental to the African feminist’s agenda.
African feminists shouldn’t be so eager to replicate western ideas; there should be an effort of
engagement to produce an ACCURATE AFRICAN FEMINISM
, Q2: consciencism - Nkrumah
Philosophical consciencism, even though deeply rooted in materialism is not necessarily atheistic; if PC
is not atheistic, then it is not materialistic.
Materialism: material possessions & physical aspects more important than spiritual aspects
Atheistic: disbelieving in the existence of god
Africa developed as a heterogeneous content; due to slavery, neo-colonialism & thus
inequality
Thus there needs to be a point where the past is reckoned with so that a desired collective
future is reachable
Idealism – consciousness
the primary substance of reality is consciousness, spirit and thought,
matter is secondary and dependent on consciousness.
For an idealist, the natural world, from its foundation, derives its being from and can be
reduced to thought. Dualist in nature.
MATERIALISM - MATTER
Matter is the primary substance and exists independent of consciousness.
PHILOSOPHICAL CONSCIENCISM;
engaging forces that enable Africans to digest the Western & Islamic, and the Euro-Christian elements in
Africa, and develop them in a way that they fit into the African personality.
Nature of PC; routed in materialism
Human beings as ENDS AND NOT MEANS; man as the ground of ethics
Thus not atheistic; because man is the focus, not a redemptive aspect
“Philosophical consciencism, even though deeply rooted in materialism is not necessarily atheistic”
materialism enables DIALECTIC between the three segments of African society:
1. African society
2. The tradition
3. The western & Islamic aspects
How to truly emancipate Africa?
• The call to the complexities in Africa
• Injustice, Inequality
• True eradication of colonialism
• Neo-colonialism
• Economic independence and integrity
• One-party System (Socialism)
“Practice without thought is blind; thought without practice is empty”
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