Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/01/2025
10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Location
LRW 3001

Political Science | Winter 2025 RIPS Seminar Series
Research in Progress Seminar hosted by the Department of Political Science presents:

Exploring Frantz Fanon’s “Pitfalls of National Consciousness”: Lessons for 21st Century Africa

DATE:        Wednesday, January 15^th, 2025
TIME:         10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST
WHERE:     LRW 3001

This seminar welcomes Hosea Patrick, sessional instructor in the Department of Political Science.

It is common practice for nations around the world to dedicate a day in the year as National Day of Independence. These celebratory practices, as expected, is also common tradition in Africa. National Independence for most States in Africa started from the late 1950s (climaxing in the 1960s). However, the realities of coloniality, seen as pattern of power and social relations which emerged due to society’s colonial past is evident in virtually every sphere in Africa. Considering the positionality of Africa in comparison to other global stakeholders and the notion of independence as civil, political, and economic freedom as well as the ability to manage one’s own affairs (sovereignty), it begs the question “is Africa truly free?” Adopting Frantz Fanon’s “Pitfalls of National Consciousness” as a theoretical lens, I explored the rationale for Africa’s contemporary positionality in terms of identity, governance, structure, and prospects. The research underscores the complexity and challenges of achieving true liberation and national consciousness necessary to spur development and true independence in the wake of colonialism and continued coloniality. It emphasizes the need for a thorough transformation of social, economic, and cultural structures for a 21st Century Africa.

This seminar will be hybrid. A Zoom link will be sent closer to date.

All are welcome to attend. No registration required.