Critique of the Decolonization Principle: In Dialogue with Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò Book “Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously”

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Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the academic debate surrounding the book “Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously,” published in 2022 by the Nigerian philosopher and scientist Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò. The central thesis of the book is that it formulates a new approach to the phenomenon of decolonization. In the article, the author examines the content of the publication, highlighting key ideological and philosophical meanings. Meanwhile, the debates within the Anglo-American academic community are also explored. The article concludes with a critique of the monograph. The ‘political mission’ of the book is also investigated since it is directed against the growing “decolonization of modernity” trend of in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa. In terms of methodology, the author used text data mining (TDM) to analyze the original text. Discourse analysis was utilized to investigate the scientific discussion surrounding the book. The article draws several conclusions. O. Táíwò’s monograph represents a reaction to the series of revolutions in West Africa, which resulted in withdrawal from French neocolonial influence in some countries. The trend towards the liberation of African countries from neocolonial dependency had emerged, and the former metropolises were unable to stop this process. Consequently, it required the Western scientific community to urgently develop an ideological platform asserting the need to preserve the previous neocolonial order. O. Táíwò presents this ideological concept in his monograph. Its essence unfolds the thesis that decolonization was completed when African colonies gained independence and statehood. Further decolonization, referred to in the book as the “decolonization of modernity,” is harmful and destroys the essential complex historical and cultural African heritage. Therefore, the rhetoric of “decolonizing modernity” is considered illegitimate and must be stopped.

About the authors

Nikolaj A. Medushevsky

Russian State University for the Humanities; RUDN University

Author for correspondence.
Email: lucky5659@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0475-6713
SPIN-code: 4547-0007

PhD, Dr. of Sc. (Political Science), Professor, Department of Modern East and Africa, Russian State University for the Humanities; Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Politics, RUDN University

Moscow, Russian Federation

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