Power, status and memory in Indo-East African relations

Abstract

ABSTRACT While much scholarly attention has focused on the growing influence of China in Africa, India remains a comparatively neglected actor on the continent, especially among policy makers in the Global North. In this article, the authors argue that this comparative neglect is not only an empirical gap. Instead, it points towards a deeper conceptual challenge of accounting for shifting global power dynamics. To address this challenge, the article develops a relational account of power that takes into consideration questions of status and memory. Based on interviews conducted in Kenya and Ethiopia in early 2020, the analysis shows that India’s influence in the region is perceived differently by different audiences. While diplomats from the Global North focussed primarily on material capabilities, respondents from East Africa also highlighted the importance of normative status, shared historical memories, and the Indo-African diaspora as central factors of India’s influence in the region.