Colonial mindsets positioned Africa as a perennial student of the West

Evidence

The openness of Africans to the values of other cultures is obvious. At times, however, it has even been viewed as excessive and a hindrance to a healthy development of the African spirit. “Colonization of the mind,” “slave mentality,” and “Westernization,” are various expressions used to denounce what is perceived as a one-sided or “one way” type of relationship. One of the strongest obstacles to dialogue has been the lingering legacy of the colonial mindset. In both colonial and post-colonial eras, it is widely assumed, covertly and sometimes overtly, that the West is the sempiternal educator and Africa the perennial student, not only in science, technology and economics, but also in culture, religion and politics. Tempels insisted on the necessity for the West to listen to other peoples and cultures. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 746

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to postcolonial theory on epistemic hierarchies (Fanon, Ngugi wa Thiong’o) and critiques of the ‘civilizing mission’. — connects to: The idea of Africa as Europe’s Other precedes and justifies colonialism — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3387; Treating African and Western as historical rather than geographical categories reveals shared philosophical ground. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 1033; Postcolonial economic and linguistic subordination of West Africa continues — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 869 (+5 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: The idea of Africa as Europe’s Other precedes and justifies colonialism — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3387; Treating African and Western as historical rather than geographical categories reveals shared philosophical ground. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 1033; Postcolonial economic and linguistic subordination of West Africa continues — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 869 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Treating African and Western as historical rather than geographical categories reveals shared philosophical ground. #complicates (0.78) — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 1033