The Africanized Queen: Metonymic Site of Transformation

by Nkiru Nzegwu Introduction Race as a category of classification has an infamous history of injustice and domination. In late nineteenth century Africa, it was deployed in a violent agenda of empire-building, in which European superiority became the organizing principle of the new political order. Following colonization, European cultural values, social norms, and conception of […]

Toward Decolonizing African Philosophy and Religion

by Kwasi Wiredu I. PARTICULARISTIC STUDIES OF AFRICAN PHILOSOPHIES AS AN AID TO DECOLONIZATION Let me begin by defining what I mean by decolonization in African philosophy. By decolonization, I mean divesting African philosophical thinking of all undue influences emanating from our colonial past. The crucial word in this formulation is “undue”. Obviously, it would […]

Justice Administration Outside the Ordinary Courts of Law in Mainland Tanzania: The Case of Ward Tribunals in Babati District

by Yusufu Q. Lawi, Boston University Introduction Since colonial days, justice administration in what is now mainland Tanzania, has invariably involved arbitral procedures alongside the more court-based litigation process. The British colonial government in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) systematized and put in place a system of customary arbitration which, although distinct, formed part of the colonial […]

The Debt Has Not Been Paid, the Accounts Have Not Been Settled

by Dudley Thompson First of all, I want to thank the students and those who are responsible for giving me the chance to participate in these “streets of intellect.” Listening to George Lamming alone is worth the trip. I hope you will agree with me on that. I will begin with a quotation that could […]

From Slave Ship to Space Ship: African Between Marginalization and Globalization

by Ali Mazrui When we formulated the title “From Slave Ship to Space-Ship”, we did not have Senator John Glenn’s 1998 space odyssey in mind. By coincidence this odyssey was happening at the same time as this panel in November 1998. We did have in mind a link between the slave ship and the subsequent […]

Lawgiving and the Administration of Justice in Some African and Other Early States

by Henri J. M. Claessen Introduction In this paper I present some aspects of lawgiving and the administration of justice in some early states. To do so I will apply some of the concepts developed by anthropologists. The use of these terms makes it necessary to ask to what extent it is useful to employ […]

Language in Development Research in 21st Century Africa

by Kitula King’ei Introduction Africa’s development in the next millennium must be research driven. Only socio-cultural and economic investigation can provide the vital data necessary to arrive at sound, well-informed policies governing development for all facets of society. Given that most of Africa remains rural and illiterate, the issue of which language is to be […]

Achieving Human Rights in Africa: The Challenge for the New Millennium

by Paul J. Magnarella Introduction Fifty-one years after the United Nations adopted the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and almost nineteen years after the Organization of African Unity (OAU) adopted its own African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the human rights situation on the African continent is decidedly bleak. Indeed, achieving genuine respect […]

Transforming Traditional Institutions for Sustainable Natural Resource Management: History, Narratives and Evidence from Zimbabwe’s Communal Areas

by Dale Dore Abstract A major question that has emerged from the research and discourse on community-based natural resource management in southern Africa is whether traditional rules comply with generally accepted principles of common property management. In other words: do traditional institutions offer a solution for the sustainable management of natural resources held in common? […]

The State and Development in Southern Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Botswana and Mauritius with Angola, Malawi and Zambia

by Osei Hwedi Introduction African countries inherited economies that are backward, skewed and underdeveloped as a result of Western colonial rule. Since independence, African states have embarked on the transformation of inherited economic structures with varying degrees of success. The debate about the role of the state in development in Africa reached its peak in […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Colonialism