Leadership, Social Identity and the Politics of Underdevelopment in Africa
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Scientific Research Publishing
Abstract
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Several researches have been conducted on the nature, character and causes of underdevelopment
in Africa. Some scholars have alluded to the imperativeness of leadership in fostering development
in Africa while some pointed a robust accusing finger to the structures of the international
political system. While this paper does not join issues with these scholars, it however focuses
on locating the dilemma of social identity as the missing factor in all inter personal relationships
in Africa with special bias for the relationship between the led and the leaders. This paper
briefly engages the arguments and counterarguments of the paradox of development in Africa
and then goes on to show how the absence of social identity or group identity has been the bane of
development in Africa. While dwelling on available secondary data, this paper theorizes the interplay
among politics of underdevelopment, leadership and social identity in Africa. It concludes by
arguing for the necessity of class suicide of the political class and also cognitive re-orientation of
the led through education.
Keywords
JA Political science (General)