Thinking African, Epistemological Issues: Celebrating the Life and Work of Thandika Mkandawire - Penser Africain, Questions Épistémologiques : Hommage À Thandika Mkandawire

Epistemological Issues, organized in recognition of the contribution of Thandika Mkandawire to the development of CODESRIA and to the advancement of knowledge production in Africa and around the world. [...] Thandika represents the possibilities of knowledge, the gains of rigour and perserverance, the endurance of human spirit, and the triumph of excellence, orginiality and creativity. [...] The animated debates were mostly weaved around the "problematique" of Africa's development, particularly whether capitalist development was possible or not, the dilemmas of progress in peasant societies, the role of the state in development, technology and development, intellectuals in the development discourse, and class formation and class conflicts in Africa. [...] His counter-discourses on the structural adjustment program, critique of the notion and logic of patrimonialism which is anchored on the pathologies of the state in Western scholarship, and the road to recovery and development provide alternative lenses in understanding the genealogy, context, and prospects of Africa's development. [...] To my mind, one of the most important contributions of Thandika to the study of Africa is the way in which he effortlessly weaves history, political economy, philosophy, quantitative methods, and a keen awareness of public policy dilemmas together in his approach to the study of Africa.