The Idea of Africa (African Systems of Thought)

Rating:
Summary: Awash in a sea of jargon
Review: Western literature has long portrayed Africa as the antithesis of Europe, or as V.Y. Mudimbe puts it, "a paradigm of difference." For centuries, Europeans have viewed Africans as embodiments of all that they disdained: foreigness, savagery, and irrationality. In other words, to use an academically voguish phrase, Europeans "otherized" Africa and Africans.

In "The Idea of Africa," Mudimbe explores the origins and development of this negative conception of Africa. His approach is unique in that it attempts to synthesize a diverse body of sources, including Greek histories, 20th century primitive art, contemporary African artists and the structuralist theory of Michel Foucault.

The reliance on Foucault is a warning that we're headed into the murky realm of postmodern philosophy. In his preface, Mudimbe writes that he hopes to tackle the "simple issue" of how he would explain the idea of African otherness to his two "Americanized" children. This presumption of simplicity highlights the sheer unreadability of this otherwise interesting work. Mudimbe's writing is so cluttered with flashy jargon and inscrutable theory so as to be practically inaccessible, even for readers who are comfortable with his topic. As one academic reviewer put it, "Mudimbe has produced a work that is as ambitious in concept as it is impenetrable in style." Even when Mudimbe's ideas are strong, they are obscured by his plodding style and pedantic tone.