Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper provides a critique to the Eurocentric narrative of development and its dislocating effect for Africans. The author argues that from its very inception in the post World War II era (post-1945), the project of development expressed an epistemological bias to Eurocentric perspectives. In this way, African knowledge systems and contributions to development were deliberately excluded. Africans in view of this development project became viewed as mere dependent beneficiaries and objects who needed to be converted into the image of European countries. The central argument of this paper is, in order for Africans to experience an authentic development which is empowering, development must be re-interpreted from a viewpoint of Africans as people capable of defining their problems and finding solution to their challenges. The paper employs the theory of Afrocentricity to challenge Eurocentric analogy of development and to enable development to be engaged from the standpoint of Africans.