Appreciating the heterogeneity in the unity of Africa

A socio‐ecological perspective on Africa's geographies

Bibliographic Data

ID8423484
AuthorsShuaib Lwasa (0000-0003-4312-2836, GeoInformation (United Kingdom), corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume63
Issue4
Pages594-602
Publication date2019-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-3658 • E-ISSN: 1541-0064
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/cag.12576
OpenAlexW2984998249
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited14

The African continent is known by various metaphors and geographies, but for many there are also unknowns about the continent. Geopolitically, Africa is a continent that is considered remote—an economically emerging continent seen as entangled in persistent challenges of wars, political dictatorship, poverty, disease, and more recently migration. Given these predispositions it is typical to stereotype events, practice, and behaviour as “African.” There is, however, now recognition of the continent as emerging economic power house. But unpacking the diversity of Africa reveals a huge potential with respect to resource endowments, diversity of ecology, socio‐cultural economic advancement, politics, language, and demographics. Colonial history coupled with traditional Africa shaped the geopolitical boundaries that have added to the confusion about this massive and diverse continent. Intellectual discourses either amplify the differences due to specificities of geographical focus or generalizations such as the contested notion of “African.” However, using socio‐ecological lenses, Africa is unified by these very differences in addition to being a massive landmass with several big and small island states. Appreciating these differences is useful to understanding the observed patterns of social, economic, and political systems that unify the continent. This paper illustrates the notion of “African” to describe the heterogeneous nature of a “unified” continent. Some illustrative examples between Africa and other continents are used

Colonialism · Development economics · Diversity (politics) · Economics · Geography · Geopolitics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Poverty · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Anthropology · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · International Development and Aid