Theorising development in Africa
Subtitle: towards building an African framework of development
By: Munyaradzi Mawere
Publisher: Langaa Research & Publishing CIG
Published: 2017
Place of publication: Bamenda, Cameroon
Language: eng
Number of pages: 199
ISBN-13: 9789956764747
Copyright date: 2017
Subjects: Economic development; Sustainable development
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-199).
Table of contents: title: What development is and is not; title: Development and underdevelopment in Africa: through the lenses of theory; title: The blame game and politics of development in Africa; title: Development, underdevelopment and globalisation in Africa; title: Poverty and inequality: unpacking the pragmatics of poverty and inequality in Africa; title: Development, agriculture and the diffusion of technology in rural Africa; title: Gender and development in Africa; title: Social policy and development in Africa; title: Climate change and environmental management strategies in Africa; title: Building blocks of development: towards a framework of development for Africa.