Theorising Development in Africa : Towards Building an African Framework of Development

How come Africa is so underdeveloped when it is one of the richest continents on earth? Indeed, Africa is a paradox: it is poor and rich at the same time! Resource-wise, Africa is among the top richest continents in the world, yet development-wise it is the poorest of all continents. This paradox desperately needs comprehensive theoretical unpacking and rethinking if Africa is to achieve breakthroughs to the multifaceted development-related problems that have haunted it since the beginning of its unequal encounters with Europe. Regrettably, current Eurocentric development theories fall short on several fronts. The need for a comprehensive body of knowledge ?theories and models ? from the perspective of Africans persists in urgency. The present volume is an attempt to theorise Africa?s [under-]development with a view to provide a sustainable enduring framework of operations that will arrest the elusive predicament of the continent while taking it forward from its current position of passivity. It rethinks and re-imagines a number of externally imposed problematic mechanisms used (un-)consciously in Africa, with the intention to raise awareness and foster critical thinking in scholars and scholarship on African development. With its predicament-oriented theorising, the book is a pacesetter on how to think and research Africa?s [under-]development. It is also an invaluable asset for social scientists, policy makers, development practitioners, civil society activists and politicians.

Author: Mawere, Munyaradzi

Publisher: Langaa RPCIG

Publication Date: Jan 17, 2017

Number of Pages: 205 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 9956764744

ISBN-13: 9789956764747