Western Social Sciences and Africa: The Domination and Marginalisation of a Continent

This paper seeks to investigate the role that Western world views, or what one scholar has referred to as the Western 'sociology of ideas', informed largely, but not only, by knowledge derived from the various branches of social science disciplines, played in the history of the African con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:African sociological review 2006, Vol.10 (1), p.161-179
Main Author: Mlambo, Alois S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Disciplines
Africa
African culture
African history
African studies
Capitalism
Colonialism
Dominant Ideologies
Economic development
Economic liberalism
Europe
Hegemony
Imperialism
Knowledge
Marginalization
Publishing industry
Scholarly publishing
Social Sciences
Social theory
Sociological research
Traditions
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Summary:This paper seeks to investigate the role that Western world views, or what one scholar has referred to as the Western 'sociology of ideas', informed largely, but not only, by knowledge derived from the various branches of social science disciplines, played in the history of the African continent & its people. The article considers the topic from the period of the Renaissance & the wave of early European expansion that it gave rise to, through the Enlightenment & the rise of Western industrialism, the era of European colonialism in Africa, to the post-colonial era. It recognizes the fact that Western social science has never been monolithic in its approaches & ideas & that what constitutes knowledge has always been contested. Nevertheless, there has been, since the development of Modern Europe, what can rightfully be called a Western view of the world, particularly with respect to non-Western societies & cultures. References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:1027-4332