Description
Ideology has received little relevance and attention from African-centred IR scholars. How did this happen; how can we bring ideology back into Africa’s IR conversations; why is this important? These questions are central themes around which this paper is built. Ideology has been downplayed due to the pejorative view of it that hinders its analytical utility. I argue that one way in which ideology can be brought back is by reconceptualising ideology in a way that draws a synergy between thought and action, and how such complementarity helps push ideology beyond the frontiers of just thinking to its influence on actual policymaking. I demonstrate this by drawing on practical examples from Ghana and other African countries to explore how ideology can complement our understanding and insights into three key debates on Africa’s international relations: extraversion, African agency, foreign policy continuity and change. My point in this paper is that ideology provides an alternative, but complementary, perspective to these debates. What this paper does is to set the tone to bring ideology up from the margins into mainstream African literature, and to provoke further analysis of African politics and understanding of state behaviour from such perspectives. Taking ideology seriously would position African-centred IR scholars in a better position to gain a broader and more in-depth awareness of the dynamics of Africa’s international relations.
