Comprehensive African History and Post-Colonial Economics Flashcards

Flashcards covering the history of the Mali Empire, colonial exploitation, African philosophical concepts like Ubuntu, and the economic impacts of Structural Adjustment Programs.

Sundiata

The King who established the Mali empire in $1235$; his rise to power was passed down as oral traditions by griots in west Africa.

Pre-Colonial Period

The era before the $1880\text{s}$ characterized by the Trans-Saharan Trade and Kingdoms/Empires of the Sahel.

Sahel

A term meaning "shore," used to describe the Kingdoms and Empires located at the edge of the desert.

Colonialism ($1880\text{s} - 1960\text{s}$)

The establishment of foreign rule over a territory involving settlers, new boundaries, dispossession, and the destruction of culture, environment, and resources.

Ghana

The first African country to become independent in $1957$, beginning a wave of independence across the continent.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, or cultural pressure to control or influence another country, often involving a change in government but not in economic relations.

Berlin Conference

The event known as the "Scramble for Africa" where European countries sought to establish colonies across the continent.

Social Contract

The relationship between the state and its people where individuals sacrifice certain freedoms in exchange for care, protection, and the definition of rights and duties.

Ubuntu

A philosophy translated as "I am because we are," emphasizing togetherness, the common good, and the idea that the individual cannot exist without others.

Steve Biko

The founder of the Black Consciousness Movement who aimed to restore pride in black culture and argued that mimicking white culture was an insult to their own.

San

Hunter-gatherers who were the first humans to live in South Africa; they lived without hierarchy and utilized poisons in arrows for hunting.

Limited Wants

A way of life adapted by the San where there was no desire for more possessions than could be carried and resources were shared equally.

Epistemic Violence

Violence committed through the forcible imposition of a different way of thinking and existing in the world.

Episteme/Epistemology

The practice of seeing the world from only one specific perspective, such as a single culture or religion.

Polygyny

A marital system where a man has more than one wife; it provided a support system and often involved multiple houses within a single compound or concession.

Griot

Professional oral historians, advisors, and elders who pass down history and verbal accounts of the past.

Oral Tradition

A verbal account of past history created by professionals to give insight into a community's worldview and how the past becomes part of the present.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural practices into a new, combined system.

Concept of Right Action

The belief (similar to Karma) that right behavior is rewarded while evil behaviors result in misfortune.

Initiation/Bush Schools

Experiential schools where minors lived away from their community in "bush areas" to learn society's laws, customs, roles, and undergo rites of passage like circumcision.

Secret Societies

Another term for initiation schools, where the "secret" refers to knowledge taught only to those undergoing the transition to adulthood.

Balance Sheet Approach

An assessment claiming colonialism implemented more good than bad, though critics argue the "good" elements were undermined by underdevelopment.

Underdevelopment

Economic exploitation of a country that causes them to become structurally dependent on another, such as Africa's dependence on Europe.

Infrastructure (Colonial)

Basic facilities and systems which, under colonialism, were limited to the needs of the colonial government and metropole economy rather than the general population.

African Socialism

A response to capitalism that sought to take back control of resources for the benefit of all, often described as "wealth that feeds people."

Ujamaa

A version of African socialism meaning "familyhood," envisioned by Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania.

Pan-Africanism

A theory about the unity of Africa and its people worldwide, advocating for the rights of the singular African community.

Diaspora

Africans who have been spread throughout the world, particularly following the post-transatlantic trade.

OAU (Organization of African Unity)

Created in $1963$ to negotiate border disputes and support liberation; it transitioned into the AU (African Union) in $2000$.

Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs)

Imposed by the World Bank/IMF in the $1980\text{s} - 1990\text{s}$, these "one size fits all" policies required states to stop providing social services and prioritize debt repayment.

Currency Devaluation

A requirement of SAPs where a country's currency was reduced by at least $50\%$, making exports cheaper but imports significantly more expensive.

Privatization

The transfer of ownership of services and resources from the government to private companies, often leading to higher prices.

CFA Franc

A pegged currency established in $1939$ where colonies were required to keep at least $50\%$ of their currency in France's operations account.

De-Moralized Language

Justifications for SAPs that focused strictly on economic results without considering the morality or human suffering involved.

King Leopold

The King of Belgium who exploited the "Congo Free State" as his private colony through inhumane practices.

Patrice Lumumba

The democratic leader of the Congo who fought for independence and was assassinated because he was seen as a danger to U.S. political positions.

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial separation in South Africa.

Group Areas Act of $1950$

A South African law that separated living areas based on ethnic groups, forcing different races into specific "Bantustans."

Freedom Charter

A document establishing a vision for a post-apartheid South African society based on anti-separation.

Nelson Mandela

A leader of the anti-apartheid movement, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the first president of liberated South Africa.

National Water Act of $1998$

A law stating that water is a scarce natural resource belonging to all people of South Africa, to be used in the public interest.

Larry Summers

An economist who argued the "economic logic" of dumping toxic waste in low-wage countries, suggesting rich lives are more "valuable" than poor ones.