Decolonising the Theologico-Political Problem

The theologico-political problem, traditionally concerned with the question of the seat of authority or sovereignty in the West (rendered through the metaphor of Jerusalem vs Athens or Revelation vs Reason), has been brought to the fore of late in a number of nation-states in Africa. To the end of rethinking the theologico-political problem or decolonising it, this article draws on Achille Mbembe’s notion of improvisation as an important avenue through which the decolonisation of the theologico-political problem can be situated meaningfully in the African context. Its core argument is that such a decolonisation of the theologico-political problem is not only useful for centering African experiences in political theology broadly, but also for further problematizing the decontextualized ways in which notions such as the theologico-political problem elide a history of “others” in their continued access primarily or even solely through Western experiences of state formation.