W E E K 4
Page 1: APL 310 Course Introduction
DECOLONIALITY, ANTHROPOLOGY AND AFRICA
Instructor: KHANYISILE MAPHALALA
Focus: WEEK 4
Page 2: His-Story & The Dark Continent
Distortion of History: A major tool of warfare.
Dark Continent: Term used by Europeans due to their ignorance of Africa.
Media Propaganda: The Global North uses it to control the narrative on Africa.
Fanon's Perspective: Describes the native as lacking ethics and values, a corrosive element to society.
Page 3: The White Man’s Burden
Kipling's Poem: Explores themes of colonialism and moral duty to 'civilize' conquered peoples.
Paradox of Service: Young men are sent to serve those they have conquered.
Selfless Duty: Conquering races framed as moral obligation, resulting in blame and hatred from the 'civilized'.
Page 4: Eurocentrism/Afrocentrism Debate
Control of African Minds: Europeans aim to maintain dominance over African peoples.
Afrocentrism Threatens Power: If Africans adopt Afrocentrism, it endangers European global dominance.
Fear of African Unity: Europeans are insecure about the potential for Afrocentric empowerment.
Page 5: Afrocentrism
Definition: Perspective viewing phenomena through African people's lens.
Unique Identity: Recognizes the distinct and original nature of Africans.
Authentic Perspective: Encourages self-evaluation based on African-centric contexts without distorting history.
Page 6: Socio-cultural Implications of the Single Story
Dignity Robbery: Reduction of complex identities to stereotypes.
Stereotyping: Leads to misrepresentation of cultures.
Self-Perception Impact: Alters how individuals perceive themselves.
Cultural Erasure: Neglects and diminishes diverse cultural narratives.
Page 7: Tutorial Considerations
Cultural Diversity as Hegemony: Hoskin suggests it’s part of European dominance.
Eurocentric Bias: Examines how it shapes our navigation of social spaces.
Personal Impact: Reflect on Eurocentrism's influence in education and social connections.