Who Is an African?

The subject of race and identity is a burning issue which continues to occupy the attention not only of South Africans but also the wider residents of the continent of Africa and those who are Africans in the Diaspora. The outburst of xenophobic attacks against foreigners mostly of Black African origins in some communities of Kwa-Zulu Natal and areas of Johannesburg during 2008 and 2015 has raised questions about the social cohesion of South African society linked to unresolved structural identity issues bequeathed by the nation’s past colonial and apartheid legacy. This publication argues that there is an embedded schizophrenic identity crisis within the society that requires scholarly interrogation. The chapters assemble scholarly voices from different ethnic groups that examine the central research question of this study: Who is an African? Within the wider Southern African context, identity and ethnicity politics are framing nationalist economic policies and are impacting on social cohesion within many countries. Writing from different social and racial locations the authors have critically engaged with the central question and offer some important insights that can serve as a resource for all nations grappling with issues of race, ethnicity, identity constructed politics, and social cohesion.

This important book serves as a pedagogical tool for students of religion, African studies, race relations and gender studies and is ground-breaking, not only in terms of the quality of the essays but also in the scope of the issues that it addresses. . . . It opens up new horizons in respect of what it means to be an African and is undoubtedly a "must-have" for every scholar of African thought, identity and philosophy as well as those engaged in interdisciplinary research on and in Africa., The issue of race has been a driver of such seismic political events as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US President. South Africa provides a microcosm where the question of race can be interrogated in a uniquely concentrated way. We therefore all stand to benefit from the penetrating analysis offered by Hewitt and Kaunda in this ground-breaking volume., South Africa is a daunting place where the consequences of colonialism/coloniality pulse intensely. To listen to these authors, learn from them and think with them is a must! The result? A necessary decolonization of our minds and a desire for justice! With this book I was reminded of Albert Memmi: “revolt is the only way out of the colonial situation.", This project makes an immense contribution to our resolute quest to be African universities in a context of accelerated transformation to comprehensive justice and responsible freedom for all on our continent and globally., This book candidly unpacks and interrogates important contemporary issues such as race, xenophobia, gender, sexuality, social cohesion, poverty, inequality, human rights and more in post-apartheid South Africa. These issues are also enunciated in key South Africa’s institutional legal and policy frameworks such as the Bill of Rights, Human Rights Commission, Gender Commission, White Paper 3 on Transformation of Higher Education and National Development Plan 2030. Though the book is contextualised in the pre and post 1994 dispensation in South Africa it is relevant to many countries that have gone through colonial oppression especially in the global south. The strength of the book lies in its empirical foundation, contribution from a diverse range of scholars with leadership expertise in different academic, research and administrative fields such as religion, theology, sociology, political science, gender and sexuality, historical humanities, and philosophy making it a truly cross disciplinary scholarly work. The book also addresses indirectly the elusive concept of African scholarship, curriculum decolonisation and transformation in South African Universities. The book in this regard contributes immensely towards current trends and debates in South Africa’s higher education and the healing of a previously and racially polarised society. The book will potentially find appeal in a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Therefore, I add my voice to endorsing the book Who Is an African and invite scholars, professional practitioners and students from within and outside South Africa and across disciplines to engage with the issues and debates presented herein.

Roderick R. Hewitt is academic leader for research and higher degrees in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.Chammah J. Kaunda is Africa Research Fellow, Senior Research Specialist in Human Development Science of the Human Sciences Research Council (HDS-HSRC), and honorary lecturer in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.