Empire, Global Coloniality and African Subjectivity

Global imperial designs, which have been in place since conquest by western powers, did not suddenly evaporate after decolonization. Global coloniality as a leitmotif of the empire became the order of the day, with its invisible technologies of subjugation continuing to reproduce Africa’s subaltern position, a position characterized by perceived deficits ranging from a lack of civilization, a lack of writing and a lack of history to a lack of development, a lack of human rights and a lack of democracy. The author’s sharply critical perspective reveals how this epistemology of alterity has kept Africa ensnared within colonial matrices of power, serving to justify external interventions in African affairs, including the interference with liberation struggles and disregard for African positions. Evaluating the quality of African responses and available options, the author opens up a new horizon that includes cognitive justice and new humanism. "Sabelo J. Gatsheni-Ndlovu's book brilliantly - reveals empire's invisible Eurocentricism and coloniality from an African perspective - [It] unapologetically deciphers how global power hierarchy was rooted in the very making of Western hegemony, which manifested itself in colonial subjugation and subalternization of Africans, and is the very essence of the continent's wretchedness in the current world order today."---Siphamandla Zondi, Director of Institute for Global Dialogue (IDG), South Africa "A path-breaking book that bears eloquent testimony to the finest traditions of liberatory decolonial thinking and cannot be overlooked by all those with a stake in the transformation of Africa."---Cyril Obi, Program Director of the African Peacebuilding Network, Social Science Research Council (SSRC) " - a very insightful, timely and important contribution to scholarship on the post-colonial African condition and the many challenges that African societies face with regard to nation building and crafting common national identities in a rapidly changing world. It ranks up there with the best in the field with respect to the debates that it tackles. It is, in my view, a very welcome scholarly contribution to African studies in general and African history in particular."--Alois S. Mlambo, University of Pretoria "A most impressive book [that] is clearly structured, cleverly argued and exceptionally well written - Within the paradigm selected by the author, that is, a coloniality perspective, conceptual and methodological issues are addressed systematically and with considerable analytical rigour."--Ian Phimister, University of Sheffield Global imperial designs, which have been in place since conquest by western powers, did not suddenly evaporate after decolonization. Global coloniality as a leitmotif of the empire became the order of the day, with its invisible technologies of subjugation continuing to reproduce Africa's subaltern position, a position characterized by perceived deficits ranging from a lack of civilization, a lack of writing and a lack of history to a lack of development, a lack of human rights and a lack of democracy. The author's sharply critical perspective reveals how this epistemology of alterity has kept Africa ensnared within colonial matrices of power, serving to justify external interventions in African affairs, including the interference with liberation struggles and disregard for African positions. Evaluating the quality of African responses and available options, the author opens up a new horizon that includes cognitive justice and new humanism. Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni is the director of the Archie Mafeje Research Institute (AMRI) and is also a professor in the Department of Development Studies at the University of South Africa. Publisher's note PART 1: GLOBAL IMPERIAL DESIGNS AND EMPIRE 1. Empire and Global Coloniality: Towards a Decolonial Turn 2. Global Imperial Designs and Pan-Africanism 3. Coloniality of Power and African Development PART 2: SUBJECT, SUBJECTION AND SUBJECTIVITY 4. The Ticklish Subject in Africa 5. Subjection and Subjectivity in South Africa 6. Nationality of Power in Zimbabwe PART 3: COLONIALITY, KNOWLEDGE AND NATIONALISM 7. Coloniality of Knowledge and Higher Education 8. The African National Project and National Question PART 4: CONCLUSION 9. Global Crisis and Africa Today Part 1. Global imperial designs and empire Introduction: empire and global coloniality: towards a decolonial turn Global imperial designs and pan-Africanism Coloniality of power and African development Part 2. Subject, subjection and subjectivity The ticklish subject in Africa Subjection and subjectivity in South Africa Nationality of power in Zimbabwe Part 3. Coloniality, knowledge and nationalism Coloniality of knowledge and higher education African national project and national question Part 4. Conclusion Global crisis and Africa today. The author's sharply critical perspective reveals how an epistemology of alterity has kept Africa ensnared within colonial matrices of power, serving to justify external interventions in African affairs, including the interference with liberation struggles and disregard for African positions.