Politics: Africa Week Twelve Reading and Lecture Notes: Dreams of Unity
Ch20 - Ethnic Identity and Conflicts in Africa
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Politics: Africa
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L8 - Chapter 17: politics of identity
and the crisis of nation-building in
Africa
Created @November 10, 2022 2:58 PM
Class politics: africa
Type Reading
INTRODUCTION
first section explores context of identity in Africa
second outlines nature and character of identity politics
third explores impact of the crisis of identity politics on the process of nation-building in
Africa
WHY IDENTITY MATTERS IN THE
AFRICAN CONTEXT
identity defined as
“the way individuals and groups define themselves are defined by others on the
basis of race, ethnicity, religion, language and culture”
identity politics
derived from activities of individuals or groups who try to whip up identity
sentiments in struggle for authoritative allocation and distribution of scarce
resources of the state
fallout of identity politics led to ugly development such as
genocide in Rwanda
civil war in Nigeria
L8 - Chapter 17: politics of identity and the crisis of nation-building in Africa 1
, apartheid in South Africa
Identity matters in Africa for the following reasons:
1. the ascriptive nature of African culture
2. colonial legacy
3. communal nature of Africa
4. socio-economic inequality
5. bad leadership
the ascriptive nature of African culture
centrality of identities like birth, kinship, gender, age, etc. in African culture can’t be
ignored
self-perception stems from shared sense of in-group adhesion based on trust, custom,
familiarity and belonging, and an assumption of collective identity derived from
common descent, territorial affiliation or both
colonial legacy
pre-colonial African communities appreciated and respected different identities but
through instruments of colonialism, the foundation of the crisis of identity was laid
the state, a central legacy given to Africa by colonialism was at the centre of this
through imposition of arbitrary boundaries, colonial forces
highlighted different identities through discriminatory and divide and rule policies
communal nature of Africa
communalism
believed by Africans to be originally “god-made” because it transcends the people
who live in it now
also “man-made” because it can’t be culturally understood independent of those who
live in it now
Africans emphasise community life and communalism as living principle, of which basic
ideology is community identity
socio-economic inequality
L8 - Chapter 17: politics of identity and the crisis of nation-building in Africa 2
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