African Studies in the Academy

Yaya Fonye Odette

Description

For a long time, African Studies as a discipline has been spearheaded by academics and institutions in the Global North. This puts African Studies on the continent at a crossroads of making choices on whether such a discipline can be legitimately accepted as an epistemological discipline seeking objectivity and truth about Africa and the African peoples or a discipline meant to perpetuate the North�s hegemonic socio-economic, political and epistemic control over Africa. The compound question that immediately arises is: Who should produce what and which space should African Studies occupy in the academy both of the North and of the South? Confronted by such a question, one wonders whether the existence of African Studies Centres in the Global North academies open opportunities for critical thinking on Africa or it opens possibilities for the emergence of the same discipline in Africa as a fertile space for trans-disciplinary debate. While approaches critical for the development of African Studies are pervasive in African universities through fields such as cultural studies, social anthropology, history, sociology, indigenous knowledge studies and African philosophy, the discipline of African Studies though critical to Africa is rarely practised as such in the African academy and its future on the continent remains bleak. African Studies in the Academy.is a testimony that if honestly and objectively practised, the crossroads position of African Studies as a discipline makes it a fertile ground for generating and testing new approaches critical for researching and understanding Africa. It also challenges Africa to seriously consider assuming its legitimate position to champion African Studies from within. These issues are at the heart of the present volume.

Sujets

• African Studies

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 09 août 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• EAN13: 9789956763573
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

AFRICAN STUDIES in the ACADEMY AFRICAN STUDIES in the ACADEMY The Cornucopia of Theory, Praxis and Transformation in Africa?

Edited by

Munyaradzi Mawere and Tapuwa R. Mubaya

African Studies in the Academy: The Cornucopia of Theory, Praxis and Transformation in Africa?

Edited by Munyaradzi Mawere & Tapuwa R. Mubaya

L a ng a a R esea rch & P u blishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com ISBN-10: 9956-762-22-9 ISBN-13: 978-9956-762-22-4 ©Munyaradzi Mawere & Tapuwa R. Mubaya 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher

List of Contributors Munyaradzi Mawerea PhD in Social Anthropology from holds the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. Professor Mawere also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology from UCT, a Master’s Degree in Development Studies, and Master’s Degree in Philosophy and B. A. (Hons) Degree in Philosophy from the University of Zimbabwe. He is currently Professor in the Department of Culture and Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. Before joining this university, Professor Mawere was a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and at Universidade Pedagogica, Mozambique, where he has worked in different capacities as a Senior lecturer, Assistant Research Director, Postgraduate Co-ordinator and Associate Professor. He has an outstanding publishing record of more than one hundred and twenty pieces of work which include more than twenty-five books and over a hundred book chapters and papers in scholarly journals. Professor Mawere has published extensively on poverty and community development, knowledge studies, political anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), environment and agrarian issues, democracy and African states, coloniality, decoloniality and transformation, African philosophy and political systems, culture and heritage studies. Some of his bestselling books are: Humans, Other Beings and the Environment: Harurwa (Edible stinkbugs) and Environmental Conservation in South-eastern Zimbabwe (2015);Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa: A Search for Sustainable Democracy and Development, (2015);Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Development in Africa: Reviving Interconnections for Sustainable Development (2014); Harnessing Cultural Capital for Sustainability: A Pan Africanist Perspective(2015);the Future of Divining Africa: Healing the Wounds, Restoring Dignity and Fostering Development, (2014);African Cultures, Memory and Space: Living the Past Presence in Zimbabwean Heritage(2014);African Philosophy and Thought Systems: A Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging (2016);Colonial Heritage, Memory and Sustainability in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects (2016);Underdevelopment, Development and the Future of Africa (2017),

andTheorising Development in Africa: Towards Building an African Framework of Development(2017). Johnson O. Olaniyiholds a PhD Degree in Political Science from University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria where he has been teaching core courses in Political Science since 1992. His area of specialization is Political Theory/Comparative Politics with special bias in Electoral Studies. Dr. Olaniyi obtained his B.Sc. Hons and M.Sc. Degrees in Political Science from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has published extensively in reputable journals, contributed chapters in edited books and authored three books:Introduction to Contemporary Political Analysis; Foundations of Public Policy Analysis;andAn Introduction to Constitutional Development in Nigeriahave all become reference points in which Nigerian Universities. He is happily married and blessed with children. Fidelis Peter Thomas Duria lecturer in the Department of is History and Development Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. He is a holder of a PhD in History from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has published a number of books and articles which focus on environmental history, socio-cultural dynamics, subaltern struggles, African border studies and politics in Zimbabwe during the colonial and post- colonial periods. He has also reviewed and edited a number of scholarly books and articles and is also a member of the editorial boards of international journals such as theZimbabwe Journal of Historical Studiesand theInternational Journal of Developing Societies. Bankie Foster Bankiewas born in Europe of African parenthood, a lawyer by training, with experience in diplomacy, the Academy and Youth matters.After 1972, Bankie resided in a number of African countries in West, South and North East Africa. From 1984 – 6, he served as Charge d’Affaires at the Ghana Embassy in Luanda, Angola with concurrent responsibility for Congo ( Brazzaville ), SWAPO, ANC and FRETLINE ( East Timor). In 1991, Bankie moved to Namibia where he worked in the

Transitional Planning Team (TPT) for the new University of Namibia (UNAM), as Personal and Executive Assistant to The Vice-Chancellor Designate, which University was established by law in 1992. Thereafter, Bankie served as Staff Development Officer for the new University, going on to the new Faculty of Law, as Researcher in the Human Rights and Documentation Centre. In 1996, Bankie joined the Secretariat of the Law Reform and Development Commission of The Ministry of Justice, serving as Researcher and acted as assistant to The Government Coordinator for Human Rights. Between 2000 and 2004, Bankie served as Head of Administration in The Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS) in Cape Town, South Africa. Thereafter, he returned to Namibia. From 2006-8, Bankie worked in Juba, South Sudan in an administrative capacity towards the establishment and in the Kush Institution, in the Office of the President of South Sudan.He then worked for five years at the National Youth Council of Namibia (NYCN) as acting Secretary to its Board and Sub-Committees, trained Youth on Pan-Africanism in the Youth Leadership Development Programme (YDLP). Since 2015, Bankie is the Director of the Pan-African Institute for the Study of African Society (PAISAS) Trust, in Windhoek, Namibia. Tapuwa Raymond Mubayais a Lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and a PhD candidate at Tilburg University, Netherlands. Before joining Great Zimbabwe University, Mr. Mubaya worked for National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) for eight years as the Curator of Archaeology and Head of the Great Zimbabwe Monument Conservation Centre. Currently he is heading the Department of Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. Mr Mubaya holds a Master of Arts Degree in Heritage Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a member of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) and the Zimbabwe Association of Professional Archaeologists and related Disciplines (ZAPAD. His current research interests are focussed on heritage management and conservation, cultural tourism and museums. Mubaya has written and published fourteen articles in internationally esteemed scholarly journals and is the co-editor/author of the books:African Cultures,

Memory and Space: Living the Past Presence in Zimbabwean Heritage(2014) andColonial Heritage, Memory and Sustainability in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospectsand co-author of (2016); African Philosophy and Thought Systems: A Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging (2016). Gertjan van Stama Research Fellow at the Scientific and is Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) of Zimbabwe. He holds an MTech (cum laude) from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa and is at the verge of completing his PhD with Tilburg University. Gertjan and his family lived in the rural areas of Zimbabwe and Zambia for over 13 years. His broad academic interests focus on the nexus of society and technology in the so-called periphery with the goal to identify and inspire local talent and engender local capacity for community- led activities. Conrad Chibangoa lecturer of religious studies in the is Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. He is interested in analysing religious and social policies and practices in contemporary developing societies. His work is mainly shaped by his particular interest in the interaction between religion and development as well as between religion and law. He is a PhD holder in Canon Law with the Pontifical Urban University, Rome and a master of Development Studies with the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He attained a BA Honours in Religious Studies at the University of Zimbabwe. Outside his academic activities, Conrad Chibango is a member of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) where he is actively involved in promoting social justice in grassroots communities. Bernard Pindukai Humbe is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo. Bernard Humbe is a PhD candidate with the University of Free State. He is a subscribed member of African Consortium of Law and Religion. His areas of research interest include: Symbolism of Animals in African Indigenous Religion, Onomastics, Traditional

Law and Social Development, Religion and Entrepreneurship, Religion and Social Transformation, and Religion and Power. Chenjerai Muwaniki is a Lecturer in Adult and Continuing Education at Great Zimbabwe University. He is currently studying for a PHD in Adult Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mr. Muwaniki’s research interests are in Vocational Education and Training, Entrepreneurship, Financial literacy and emerging issues in Adult Education. Ephraim Matandais a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University, Munhumutapa School of Commerce, Department of Banking and Finance, Masvingo, Zimbabwe. He has been with the University for the past 8 years, teaching courses at both under and post graduate levels in Banking and Finance programmes. He is well published with six books, three book chapters and nine referred journals. His most recent publications are a refereed paper entitled ‘Micro Finance Sector in Zimbabwe: An Appraisal of the Socio-Economic Performance of the Sector in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe in the Dollarisation Era’(2017) and a book accepted for publication by Cambridge Scholars publishers, with the title,Investment Management (2017).Modern Financial Nyasha Madzokere is a lecturer of Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies in Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage at Great Zimbabwe University. He has been with the University for past 9 years. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Botswana. He has published widely on the Bible and its contextual relevance to Zimbabwe. His most recent publication reads:“Let My People Go!’’ A Contextual Reading of the Book of Exodus in Light of Political and Economic Crisis in Post-independent Zimbabwe. Edmore Dubea Masters in Religious Studies (1995) and a holds DPhil in Christian-Muslim Dialogue (2003) from the University of Zimbabwe. He is currently a lecturer in Biblical and Islamic Studies with the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies (Great Zimbabwe University). He has passion for religion and ethics, particularly how religious institutions can impact positively on

public health, business and human rights. He has special concern for the interrogation of theological positions with the intention of envisioning a better world order informed by interreligious dialogue. Of great concern to me is the radicalisation of religion and politics resultinginpolarisation, deprivation and armed conflicts. Marshal Madamburatwo Master’s De holds grees in Development Studies(from Great Zimbabwe University, GZU) and Peace and Governance(from Africa University). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Universityof Zimbabwe and a Graduate Diploma in Education from Great Zimbabwe University. His currentplacement is with the Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT)Zimbabwe as a Project officer. Madambura also worked as a secondary teacher in Zimbabwe for severalyears beforejoining Family AIDS Caring Trust. In his currentplacement, Madambura has been workingwith ruralpeople in areas to do with HIV/AIDS and other developmentprojects for thepast sevenyears and this hasgiven him a broad base from which to approach manytopics on education,gender and development. His current research interests are in the areas of Education, Gender studies, Peace and conflict studies, and development issues.

Table of Contents Chapter One: Africa’s Past and Present Predicaments: Reflections on st African Studies in the 21 Century……………………….. 1 Munyaradzi Mawere & Tapuwa R. Mubaya Chapter Two: The Coming-of-age of Super-Colonialism………………………………………… 13 Gertjan van Stam Chapter Three: African Indigenous Belief Systems on the Crossroads: The Tsikamutanda and Witchcraft-related st Disputes in the 21 Century Zimbabwe…………….…….41 Fidelis P. T. Duri Chapter Four: Climate Change and Environmental Degradation: Implication for Agriculture, Food Security and Poverty in Southern Africa………………………….………………79 Munyaradzi Mawere & Marshall Madambura Chapter Five: Reinventing Nhimbe : The Deployment of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Partnerships for Development…………………………………….…….. 91 Conrad Chibango Chapter Six: Entrepreneurship, Social Capital and Community Development in Zimbabwe’s Buhera District: A Faith-based Reflection………………. 119 Bernard Pindukai Humbe & Chenjerai Muwaniki

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