African Modernity in Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom
Date
2019
Authors
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Publisher
Central Department of English
Abstract
This research paper delves into Nelson Mandela’s autobiographyLong Walk
to Freedom (1994) as primary text and explores the way in which anti-apartheid
movement in South Africa made European modernity interact with South African
culture and introducedits own style of modernity from the perspective of multiple
modernities proposed by Israeli sociologist S.N. Eisenstadt. It closely observes the
democracy, subjectivity and social change in South African cultural context. In
addition to S.N. Eisenstadt, it also brings some theoretical concepts from Dipesh
Chakravarty, Enrique Dussel and Peter Wagner to substantiate the textual analysis.
Eisenstadt assumes that modernities develop differently in different historical and
geographical contexts. Akin to Eisenstadt Chakravarty argues that there are distinct
modernities in differing cultural backgrounds. Besides, rejecting Enlightenment
values as defining features of modernity Dussel proposes “Liberation Philosophy” to
emancipate people of periphery from the Western suppression. And stressing on
uncertainty of modernity Wagner sheds lights on change and progress in modernity.
South Africans borrow democratic practices from their own forefathers to widen their
subjectivities and pay the price of torture, hatred anddiscriminations of colonial era
with love, brotherhood, inclusiveness and unity leading South Africa to a unique
modernity.
Key Words: African Modernity, Subjectivity, The Apartheid, Democracy, Social
Change
Description
Keywords
African Modernity, Subjectivity, Democracy