Ethnicity, ethnicity and modernity

A historical analysis of the use of concepts in poscolonial Africa

Abstract

Since the second half of the 20th century, the African post-colonial moment has faced, among countless adversities, conflicts often referred to as “ethnic”. However, there are authors who warn against the excessive and sometimes uncritical use of concepts such as ethnicity, ethnicity, tribe and nation, in order to characterize the ways in which political impasses operate in the African continent. By observing the trajectory of these concepts over time, it is possible to explan the problems experienced by African populations, as well as to understand the genesis of the nation-state models in force in contemporary times. In order to diverge from old paradigms that for a long period reduced the complexity of African history, a better understanding of conceptual uses aligned with a meticulous historicity becomes necessary for the writing of an African history with greater criticality and free from prejudice, which still tied to nineteenth-century scientific racism. Detailing analysis concepts aimed at studies of the African continent are of paramount importance for the writing of a history free from stigmas and prejudices.