1 - Claude E. Ake and the Praxis of Knowledge Production in Africa
Corresponding Author(s) : Jeremiah O. Arowosegbe
Africa Development,
Vol. 38 No. 3-4 (2013): Africa Development
Abstract
South-driven initiatives on endogenous knowledge production owe a great debt to Claude Ake. This article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Ake’s account of the social sciences and knowledge production on Africa. It evaluates his legacies and presents him as one of the most fertile and influential voices within the social sciences community in Africa. Claude Ake, being a political scientist with an unusually broad intellectual formation and horizon, the article examines his production – over the last four decades – of a wide ranging body of works, which have been instructive, not only for their analytical acuity, methodological rigour and theoretical sophistication, but also for being remarkable products of a magisterial erudition, the creations of an exceptionally great mind, written with a deft and profound authority. The works also constitute a sigficant attempt to adapt the intellectual legacies of Marxist scholarship towards understanding the political economy and social history of contemporary Africa from a broadly critical perspective. The leitmotif in doing so is ‘to establish a specific relevance of studying Ake’s works’. Through an examination of the epistemological bases of policy, practice and theory in his corpus, this article establishes an important area within the social sciences in Africa positively affected by Ake’s intellectual involvement.
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- Adesina, Olujimi O., 2006, ‘Sociology, Endogeneity and the Challenges of Transformation, an Inaugural Lecture.’ Grahamstown: Rhodes University.
- Ahmed, Aijaz, 1992, In Theory. London: Verso.
- Ake, Claude, n.d. Social Sciences and Development. Dakar: CODESRIA Occasional Paper 2.
- Ake, Claude, 1979, Social Science as Imperialism: The Theory of Political Development. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
- Ake, Claude, 1981, A Political Economy of Africa. England: Longman.
- Ake, Claude, 1986, ‘Editorial: Raison d’etre.’ African Journal of Political Economy. 1(1): I–IV.
- Ake, Claude, 1996, Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
- Alatas, Sayed Farid, 2006, ‘A Khadunian Exemplar for a Historical Sociology for the South.’ Current Sociology 54 (3):397–411.
- Amin, Samir, 1989, Eurocentricism. London: Zed Books.
- Argyrou, Vassos, 2001, Review Article: ‘Provincializing Europe: Reflections on Questions of Method and Strategy.’ Social Anthropology 9(2):217–22.
- Arowosegbe, Jeremiah O., 2008, ‘Decolonizing the Social Sciences in the Global South: Claude Ake and the Praxis of Knowledge Production in Africa.’ Working Paper 79. African Studies Centre. Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Arowosegbe, Jeremiah O, 2010, The State, Democracy and Development in the Works of Claude Ake. Unpublished PhD thesis. Ibadan: University of Ibadan.
- Ashcroft, Bill et al. eds, 1995, The Postcolonial Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
- Ashcroft, Bill, et al., 1998, Postcolonial Studies: The Key Concepts. London and New York: Routledge.
- Brown, Keith S., 1999, ‘Marginal Narratives and Shifty Natives: Ironic Ethnography as Antinationalist Discourse.’ Anthropology Today 15(1):136.
- Chakrabarty, Dipesh, 1992, ‘Postcoloniality and the Artifice of History: Who Speaks for “Indian” Pasts?’ Representations 37:1–26.
- Chakrabarty, Dipesh, 2000, Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
- Chatterjee, Partha. 1994. The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
- Dhaouadi, Mahmoud, 1990, ‘Ibn Khaldun: The Founding Father of Eastern Sociology.’ International Sociology 5 (3):319–35.
- Fanon, Frantz, 1968, The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press.
- Fischer, Michael M. J., 1988, ‘Scientific Dialogue and Critical Hermeneutics.’ Cultural Anthropology 3(1):3–15.
- Ghosh, Amitav and Dipesh Chakrabarty, 2002, ‘Reflections: A Correspondence on Provincializing Europe.’ Radical History Review 83:146–72.
- Giddens, Anthony, 1996, In Defence of Sociology: Essays, Interpretations and Rejoinder. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Harris, Kelly, 2005, ‘Still Relevant: Claude Ake’s Challenge to Mainstream Discourse on African Politics and Development.’ Journal of Third World Studies 22(2):73–88.
- Hodgkins, Thomas, 1972, ‘Some African and Third World Theories of Imperialism’, in R. Owen and B. Sutcliffe. eds. Theories of Imperialism. London: Longman.
- Holsinger, Bruce W. 2002, ‘Medieval Genealogies of Critique.’ Speculum 77(4):1195–227.
- Hountondji, Pauline, 1977, Sur la Philosophie africaine. Paris: Maspero. Hountondji, Pauline, 1997, Endogenous Knowledge: Research Trails. Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Kaviraj, Sudipta, 1992, ‘The Imaginary Institution of India’, in Partha Chatterjee and Gyanendra Pandey. eds. Subaltern Studies VII: Writings on South–Asian History and Society. Delhi and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Kaviraj, Sudipta and Sunil Khilnani, eds. 2001, Civil Society: History and Possibilities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Kramer, Lloyd, 1997, ‘Historical narratives and the meaning of nationalism’, Journal of the History of Ideas, 58 (3): 525-45.
- Lenin, Vladimir I., 1968, Selected works, Moscow: Progress Publishers.
- Mafeje, Archibald B. M., 1997, ‘Democracy and development in Africa: a tribute to Claude Ake’, African Journal of International Affairs, 1(1):1-17.
- Mafeje, Archibald B. M., 2000, ‘Africanity: a combative ontology’, CODESRIA Bulletin, 1 (1): 66-71.
- Mallon, Florencia E., 1994, ‘The promise and dilemma of subaltern studies: perspective from Latin American history’, American Historical Review, 99 (5): 1491-515.
- Martin, Guy, 1996, ‘Claude Ake: a tribute’, CODESRIA Bulletin, 2: 12-5.
- Massad, Joseph, 2004, ‘The intellectual life of Edward Said’, Journal of Palestine Studies, 33 (3): 7-22.
- Momoh, Abubakar, 2003, ‘Does pan-Africanism have a future in Africa? In search of the ideational basis of Afro-pessimism’, African Journal of Political Science, 8 (1): 31-57.
- Nandy, Ashis, 1995, ‘History’s forgotten doubles’, History and Theory, 34 (2): 44-66.
- Nietzsche, Friedrich, 1957, The use and abuse of history, New York: Liberal Arts Press.
- Radhakrishnan, Rajagopalan, 1993, ‘Postcoloniality and the boundaries of identity’, Callaloo, 16 (4): 750-71.
- Rodney, Walter, 1972, How Europe underdeveloped Africa, London: Bogle- L’Ouverture.
- Rostow, Walt W., 1961, The stages of economic growth: a non-communist manifesto, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Said, Edward W., 1978, Orientalism: western conceptions of the orient, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Limited.
- Young, Robert T. C., 1990, White mythologies: writing history and the West, London and New York: Routledge.
References
Adesina, Olujimi O., 2006, ‘Sociology, Endogeneity and the Challenges of Transformation, an Inaugural Lecture.’ Grahamstown: Rhodes University.
Ahmed, Aijaz, 1992, In Theory. London: Verso.
Ake, Claude, n.d. Social Sciences and Development. Dakar: CODESRIA Occasional Paper 2.
Ake, Claude, 1979, Social Science as Imperialism: The Theory of Political Development. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
Ake, Claude, 1981, A Political Economy of Africa. England: Longman.
Ake, Claude, 1986, ‘Editorial: Raison d’etre.’ African Journal of Political Economy. 1(1): I–IV.
Ake, Claude, 1996, Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
Alatas, Sayed Farid, 2006, ‘A Khadunian Exemplar for a Historical Sociology for the South.’ Current Sociology 54 (3):397–411.
Amin, Samir, 1989, Eurocentricism. London: Zed Books.
Argyrou, Vassos, 2001, Review Article: ‘Provincializing Europe: Reflections on Questions of Method and Strategy.’ Social Anthropology 9(2):217–22.
Arowosegbe, Jeremiah O., 2008, ‘Decolonizing the Social Sciences in the Global South: Claude Ake and the Praxis of Knowledge Production in Africa.’ Working Paper 79. African Studies Centre. Leiden, the Netherlands.
Arowosegbe, Jeremiah O, 2010, The State, Democracy and Development in the Works of Claude Ake. Unpublished PhD thesis. Ibadan: University of Ibadan.
Ashcroft, Bill et al. eds, 1995, The Postcolonial Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
Ashcroft, Bill, et al., 1998, Postcolonial Studies: The Key Concepts. London and New York: Routledge.
Brown, Keith S., 1999, ‘Marginal Narratives and Shifty Natives: Ironic Ethnography as Antinationalist Discourse.’ Anthropology Today 15(1):136.
Chakrabarty, Dipesh, 1992, ‘Postcoloniality and the Artifice of History: Who Speaks for “Indian” Pasts?’ Representations 37:1–26.
Chakrabarty, Dipesh, 2000, Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Chatterjee, Partha. 1994. The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Dhaouadi, Mahmoud, 1990, ‘Ibn Khaldun: The Founding Father of Eastern Sociology.’ International Sociology 5 (3):319–35.
Fanon, Frantz, 1968, The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press.
Fischer, Michael M. J., 1988, ‘Scientific Dialogue and Critical Hermeneutics.’ Cultural Anthropology 3(1):3–15.
Ghosh, Amitav and Dipesh Chakrabarty, 2002, ‘Reflections: A Correspondence on Provincializing Europe.’ Radical History Review 83:146–72.
Giddens, Anthony, 1996, In Defence of Sociology: Essays, Interpretations and Rejoinder. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Harris, Kelly, 2005, ‘Still Relevant: Claude Ake’s Challenge to Mainstream Discourse on African Politics and Development.’ Journal of Third World Studies 22(2):73–88.
Hodgkins, Thomas, 1972, ‘Some African and Third World Theories of Imperialism’, in R. Owen and B. Sutcliffe. eds. Theories of Imperialism. London: Longman.
Holsinger, Bruce W. 2002, ‘Medieval Genealogies of Critique.’ Speculum 77(4):1195–227.
Hountondji, Pauline, 1977, Sur la Philosophie africaine. Paris: Maspero. Hountondji, Pauline, 1997, Endogenous Knowledge: Research Trails. Dakar: CODESRIA.
Kaviraj, Sudipta, 1992, ‘The Imaginary Institution of India’, in Partha Chatterjee and Gyanendra Pandey. eds. Subaltern Studies VII: Writings on South–Asian History and Society. Delhi and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kaviraj, Sudipta and Sunil Khilnani, eds. 2001, Civil Society: History and Possibilities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kramer, Lloyd, 1997, ‘Historical narratives and the meaning of nationalism’, Journal of the History of Ideas, 58 (3): 525-45.
Lenin, Vladimir I., 1968, Selected works, Moscow: Progress Publishers.
Mafeje, Archibald B. M., 1997, ‘Democracy and development in Africa: a tribute to Claude Ake’, African Journal of International Affairs, 1(1):1-17.
Mafeje, Archibald B. M., 2000, ‘Africanity: a combative ontology’, CODESRIA Bulletin, 1 (1): 66-71.
Mallon, Florencia E., 1994, ‘The promise and dilemma of subaltern studies: perspective from Latin American history’, American Historical Review, 99 (5): 1491-515.
Martin, Guy, 1996, ‘Claude Ake: a tribute’, CODESRIA Bulletin, 2: 12-5.
Massad, Joseph, 2004, ‘The intellectual life of Edward Said’, Journal of Palestine Studies, 33 (3): 7-22.
Momoh, Abubakar, 2003, ‘Does pan-Africanism have a future in Africa? In search of the ideational basis of Afro-pessimism’, African Journal of Political Science, 8 (1): 31-57.
Nandy, Ashis, 1995, ‘History’s forgotten doubles’, History and Theory, 34 (2): 44-66.
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 1957, The use and abuse of history, New York: Liberal Arts Press.
Radhakrishnan, Rajagopalan, 1993, ‘Postcoloniality and the boundaries of identity’, Callaloo, 16 (4): 750-71.
Rodney, Walter, 1972, How Europe underdeveloped Africa, London: Bogle- L’Ouverture.
Rostow, Walt W., 1961, The stages of economic growth: a non-communist manifesto, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Said, Edward W., 1978, Orientalism: western conceptions of the orient, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Limited.
Young, Robert T. C., 1990, White mythologies: writing history and the West, London and New York: Routledge.