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Beyond Economic Critique of Globalization: Using Globalization as a Basis for Political Claims in Africa

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Olatunji Alabi Oyeshile at University of Ibadan
Olatunji Alabi Oyeshile
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Abstract

This essay takes a deviant stance against the prevailing perspective on globalization as an imperialistic enterprise championed by the Western nations to perpetuate their exploitative tendencies on the underdeveloped nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America. While it acknowledges that globalization has sometimes been used to exploit third world countries, nevertheless there is some salutary underpinning within globalization that can enhance growth and social order especially in the third world countries. This underpinning factor stems from certain universal, not necessarily absolute, values and principles that can regulate human social behaviour especially at the political realm. It establishes a synergy of globalization and political claims based on universal standard of morality, the jettisoning of negative cultural claims, and avoidance of authoritarianism predicated on rigid cultural identity in the guise of protecting national sovereignty. It concludes on the need for a global basis as justificationist paradigm of political claim in Africa based on common good and justice as pivots of African cultural renewal.
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International Journal of Applied Philosophy
Volume 22, Issue 2, Fall 2008
Olatunji A. Oyeshile, Ph.D.
Pages 265-280
DOI: 10.5840/ijap200822219
Beyond Economic Critique of Globalization
Using Globalization as a Basis for Political Claims in Africa
This essay takes a deviant stance against the prevaili ng perspective on globalization as an
imperialistic enterprise championed by the Western nations to perpetuate their exploitative
tendencies on the underdeveloped nations of Asia, Africa and Lati n America. While it
acknowledges that globali zation has sometimes been used to expl oit third world countries,
nevertheless there is some salutary underpinning wi thin globalization that can enhance
growth and social order especially in the third world countries. This underpi nning factor
stems from certain universal, not necessarily absolute, values and principles that can
regulate human social behaviour especial ly at the political realm. It establishes a synergy of
globalization and pol iti cal clai ms based on universal standard of morali ty, the jettisoning of
negative cultural cl aims, and avoidance of authoritarianism predicated on ri gid cultural
identity in the gui se of protecting nati onal sovereignty. It concludes on the need for a global
basis as justificati onist paradigm of political cl aim in Africa based on common good and
justice as pivots of African cul tural renewal.
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... The postmodernists such as Rorty adopt a relativistic and inter-subjective approach to knowledge, truth and culture. In this sense, they may be opposed to absolute essence, objectivity, global or universal culture since there are different forms of life, depicted in different language games following Wittgenstein (Oyeshile, 2008). ...
... It should be noted that postmodernism, saddled with competing paradigms and frameworks, also leads to the promotion of human values as it promotes anything that is good for humankind irrespective of the origin of such an idea. Postmodernism therefore, as I argued elsewhere (Oyeshile, 2008) tends to remove the illusion of a grand theory, based on the illusion of pure reason, that is immutable, absolute and static which may engender authoritarianism, autocracy and tyranny in knowledge, culture and politics. ...
... It is the case that Africa's crisis of underdevelopment can be traced mainly to lack of internal criticism of policies, actions, and visions of leaders in Africa, coupled with uncritical acceptance of certain values either domestic or foreign which have made development and attainment of social order daunting tasks in Africa (Oyeshile, 2008). ...
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... It should be noted that postmodernism, saddled with competing paradigms and frameworks, also leads to the promotion of human values as it promotes anything that is good for humankind irrespective of the origin of such an idea. Postmodernism therefore, as I argued elsewhere (Oyeshile, 2008) tends to remove the illusion of a grand theory, based on the illusion of pure reason, that is immutable, absolute and static which may engender authoritarianism, autocracy and tyranny in knowledge, culture and politics. ...
... It is the case that Africa's crisis of underdevelopment can be traced mainly to lack of internal criticism of policies, actions, and visions of leaders in Africa, coupled with uncritical acceptance of certain values either domestic or foreign which have made development and attainment of social order daunting tasks in Africa (Oyeshile, 2008). ...
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