Theorising development in Africa : towards building an African framework of development / Munyaradzi Mawere.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mawere, Munyaradzi, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sustainable development--Africa.

Economic development--Social aspects--Africa.

Economic development--Africa.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (205 pages) : illustrations

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2017

Place of Publication:

Baltimore, Maryland : Project Muse, 2017

Summary:

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.

Contents:

What development is and is not

Development and underdevelopment in Africa: through the lenses of theory

The blame game and politics of development in Africa

Development, underdevelopment and globalisation in Africa

Poverty and inequality: unpacking the pragmatics of poverty and inequality in Africa

Development, agriculture and the diffusion of technology in rural Africa

Gender and development in Africa

Social policy and development in Africa

Climate change and environmental management strategies in Africa

Building blocks of development: towards a framework of development for Africa.

Notes:

Issued as part of book collections on Project MUSE.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-199).

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9789956764761

9956764760

OCLC:

975236861