African Modernity in Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom

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