Palmer, J orcid.org/0000-0003-3091-8763 (2020) S.N. Eisenstadt and African modernities: Dialogue, extension, retrieval. European Journal of Social Theory, 23 (2). pp. 219-237. ISSN 1368-4310
Abstract
This article elucidates some connections and divergences between S.N. Eisenstadt’s work on multiple modernities and critical reflections on ‘African modernity’ presented by Africanist scholars. It argues that there is more cross-over between these discussions than is commonly thought when both are seen as parallel responses to the shortcomings of post-war modernization theory. Eisenstadt’s work can inform debates in African Studies concerning the effective power of tradition in postcolonial African societies, and on African interpretations of the ‘cultural programme’ of modernity. The article also discusses some weaknesses in Eisenstadt’s theorizing which arise from an extension of the multiple modernities framework to African societies, namely, an underappreciation of the various modalities of colonial imperialism and racialization, as well as the institutional constraints placed on postcolonial societal elites. It claims that these can be offset via a dialogue with the work of scholars in African Studies. Moreover, it is argued that the paradigm of multiple modernities can more satisfactorily shed light on African trajectories of modernity via the retrieval of tenets of Eisenstadt’s ‘heterodox’ modernization theory and work on post-traditionality, outlined in the 1960s and the 1970s, which include specific reflections on African societies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2018. This is an author produced version of a paper published in European Journal of Social Theory. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Africa, colonialism, decolonization, Eisenstadt, multiple modernities, postcolonialism |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Sociology and Social Policy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Oct 2018 15:27 |
Last Modified: | 05 May 2020 15:19 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/1368431018809546 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:136517 |