Africa and International Politics
University of York
Lecture 1 – Introduction
Theme 1: Africa and IR
"The continent usually appears in IR scholarship as a case of delinquency - as the site of
conflict, suffering and disorder" (Cornelissen et al., 2012)
Why does Africa tend to be neglected in IR?
Do existing IR theories adequately reflect the realities of African states?
What can Africa's unique experience contribute to IR theory?
Theme 2: African Marginality? African Agency?
"Africa has never existed separate from the world but rather has been inextricably entwined
with world politics and has continually exercised its agency" (Taylor, 2010)
Does Africa play a central role in international politics, and what determines its current role?
Is Africa's fate primarily determined internally or externally?
How do African actors interact with the outside world? Do they have any meaningful power
and/or influence?
A Brief Timeline of Africa in International Politics
1440s: Atlantic Slave Trade begins - trade had existed between European and African
kingdoms in items like gold, peppers and fruits; but Slave Trade proved so profitable that
emphasis shifted to that
1780: Slavery at its peak
1807: Britain outlaws the Slave Trade
1800-1900: 'Scramble for Africa'
1884: Berlin Conference
1950s: Decolonisation process starts in much of Africa. Africans gradually gain greater say in
their new nation's affairs
1960-70: Independence for most of Africa's colonies
1980s: Massive structural adjustment programs throughout the continent
2000s: Democratisation process underway in much of Africa following many years of post-
independence military rule
Africa's Pre-Colonial History
A diverse continent
Stateless societies, some of which evolved into non-hegemonic states
Importance of kinship
Trade links with the Mediterranean, Western Asia and the Indian Ocean region
Various complex systems of representation, accountability and justice
Africa and Europe: Colonisation
Early 1800s; European involvement with Africa primarily limited to trading posts along West
Coast
From mid-1800s, European powers began to take possession of territories in Africa
Culminating in Berlin Conference of 1884
"Those who were colonised themselves participated in this process […and had an effect on]
the colonial situation itself, on the colonisers and even on the metropole" (Bayart, 2000)
Decolonisation and Independence
Only Egypt, Liberia and Ethiopia independent at the end of WW2
Following Indian independence in 1947, African calls for self-rule became hard to resist
European colonial powers responded in very different ways
Cold War dynamics also played key role in some independence struggles
Legacy of Colonialism
Thomson, 2010: Africa's colonial inheritance:
o Modern states
o Arbitrary boundaries
o Weak state-civil society links
, o Promotion of an African state elite
o Export economies
o Absence of strong political institutions
University of York
Lecture 1 – Introduction
Theme 1: Africa and IR
"The continent usually appears in IR scholarship as a case of delinquency - as the site of
conflict, suffering and disorder" (Cornelissen et al., 2012)
Why does Africa tend to be neglected in IR?
Do existing IR theories adequately reflect the realities of African states?
What can Africa's unique experience contribute to IR theory?
Theme 2: African Marginality? African Agency?
"Africa has never existed separate from the world but rather has been inextricably entwined
with world politics and has continually exercised its agency" (Taylor, 2010)
Does Africa play a central role in international politics, and what determines its current role?
Is Africa's fate primarily determined internally or externally?
How do African actors interact with the outside world? Do they have any meaningful power
and/or influence?
A Brief Timeline of Africa in International Politics
1440s: Atlantic Slave Trade begins - trade had existed between European and African
kingdoms in items like gold, peppers and fruits; but Slave Trade proved so profitable that
emphasis shifted to that
1780: Slavery at its peak
1807: Britain outlaws the Slave Trade
1800-1900: 'Scramble for Africa'
1884: Berlin Conference
1950s: Decolonisation process starts in much of Africa. Africans gradually gain greater say in
their new nation's affairs
1960-70: Independence for most of Africa's colonies
1980s: Massive structural adjustment programs throughout the continent
2000s: Democratisation process underway in much of Africa following many years of post-
independence military rule
Africa's Pre-Colonial History
A diverse continent
Stateless societies, some of which evolved into non-hegemonic states
Importance of kinship
Trade links with the Mediterranean, Western Asia and the Indian Ocean region
Various complex systems of representation, accountability and justice
Africa and Europe: Colonisation
Early 1800s; European involvement with Africa primarily limited to trading posts along West
Coast
From mid-1800s, European powers began to take possession of territories in Africa
Culminating in Berlin Conference of 1884
"Those who were colonised themselves participated in this process […and had an effect on]
the colonial situation itself, on the colonisers and even on the metropole" (Bayart, 2000)
Decolonisation and Independence
Only Egypt, Liberia and Ethiopia independent at the end of WW2
Following Indian independence in 1947, African calls for self-rule became hard to resist
European colonial powers responded in very different ways
Cold War dynamics also played key role in some independence struggles
Legacy of Colonialism
Thomson, 2010: Africa's colonial inheritance:
o Modern states
o Arbitrary boundaries
o Weak state-civil society links
, o Promotion of an African state elite
o Export economies
o Absence of strong political institutions
