To Write the Africa World

Thirty intellectuals and artists from Africa, its diasporas, and beyond gathered in Dakar and Saint-Louis, Senegal, in October 2016 to reflect on the present and future of Africa in the midst of transformations. This book brings together the material presented at the 2016 Ateliers de la pensée workshops, dealing with issues such as decolonization, social utopias, and new forms of political, economic, and social production on the African continent. The contributions emphasize that there is no African question that is not also a global question and that the Africanization of the global question will be a decisive feature of the twenty-first century.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 318 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2022
Publisher: Polity Press

In October 2016, a remarkable gathering of thirty intellectuals and artists from Africa, its diasporas, and beyond took place in Dakar and Saint-Louis, Senegal. Their purpose was to contemplate the present and future of Africa amidst the transformative forces sweeping across the contemporary world. The aim was to assess the resurgence of Afro-diasporic critical thought and explore the emerging perspectives arising from ongoing projects that are shaping political, cultural, and social imaginaries for and from the African continent.

This book serves as a compilation and dissemination of the material presented at the 2016 Ateliers de la pensée – Workshops of Thought – in Dakar. The authors address a diverse array of topics, including decolonization, the pursuit of social utopias, and the exploration of new modes of political, economic, and social production within Africa. A recurring theme throughout is the interrogation of the categories and frames of meaning that have traditionally defined the dynamics of the African continent. Moreover, there is a shared aspiration to generate new frames of intelligibility that enable us to perceive the realities of Africa today and envision its future.

The contributions in this volume attest to the belief that there is no African question that does not also possess global significance. Furthermore, they suggest that the Africanization of the global question will be a defining characteristic of the twenty-first century.

For those with an interest in Africa, its past, present, and future, as well as the emerging forms of critical thought emanating from Africa and the Global South, To Write the Africa World and its companion volume, The Politics of Time, will prove to be indispensable resources.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 151 x 230 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509551071