What lead to the Lack of development in Africa?

by moocow921

In Europe we had the Renaissance and The Enlightenment, There has always been massive technological developments in Asia (Squandered by the black death) why did Africa never seem to develop as well as these other continents?

Searocksandtrees

hi! you may find additional information in the FAQ*

Why is Africa "less developed"?

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mvlindsey

The social, economic and political role of a colonial rule whose influence permeates to the modern era in all these contexts probably had a lot to do with it. Imagine how well any continent would do after a couple of centuries of invasion, colonization, deportation of massive parts of their populations, and systemic de-valuation of their natural resources might influence the ability of it to "develop". That's not even touching the question of "modernity" as a strictly European conception vs. a sort of transcendental Reason that extends past the conception of a Europe as the be-all and end-all of civilization. Nor does it touch the question of whether "Africa" as a geographical construction makes any sense, as I would argue varying countries within the continent have evolved at differing rates, all of which are worth noting.

Walter Rodney's How Europe Under-Developed Africa is a good resource for the historical specifics of African colonization. You may also be interested in a set of works about colonialism on a whole: David B. Abernathy The Dynamics of Global Dominance, Immanuel Wallerstein's The Modern World-System, and J. H. Parry's The Age of Reconnaissance .