Description
Africa is arguably the worst affected region by the skewed nature of the world ‘system’. The continent continues to play a marginal role in global governance with little or no value being attached to its potential contribution by the powerful countries of the North. The discipline of international studies therefore ought to be most developed in the continent and its intellectuals expected to lead the debates for a new international studies. But who are the intellectuals and intelligentsia and where does Africa derive its intellectualism to confront the empire? Guided by the sociology of African intellectualism, this paper explores the role and contribution of Afro-intellectualism in the international studies space both at home and in the diaspora. It conceptualizes ‘Afro intellectualism’ in international studies, exploring the fatality of making intellectualism an ‘academics only’ affair when Africa is rich in several indigenous knowledge systems. It interrogates how this reinforces a colonial construct of intellectualism, underscoring the impact of colonialism on knowledge production and distribution. The paper will identify the displaced and ignored African constituencies that should be co-opted to the advancement of international studies given the nature and extent of Africa’s polycrisis.
