Whither “African Economics” Imaginaries? Eleven Precepts on Its (Im)possibility

Abstract

Africa has historically occupied, and remains almost fixed at, the fringes of global knowledge production. Its battle to recover itself amid the stacks of epistemic injustices heaped on it, especially by its encounters with slavery and colonialism, rages on. Despite this grim picture, this article shows that, more recently, African Psychology has somewhat claimed its rightful place as an academic field within some leading universities in Africa. The absence of a deliberate and active disciplinary push or sustained contestations in economics on the continent is the key lacuna spotlighted in this article. However, I recognise that deciding whether African Economics is necessary must involve the mobilisation of the grit and talents of all academic economists on the continent as well as other geographies. This notwithstanding, and to foreshadow likelihoods, I imagine via this article what an erstwhile elusive African Economics might comprise. I do this by outlining and discussing eleven precepts that might serve as pointers to herald it. These precepts have multifarious implications for training and research in economics, especially in African universities, which are briskly expounded.