Answer to Question #318840 in Philosophy for tee

Question

Critical theory is skeptical of the African social traditions and authority of the community.

Comment on the above view.

Answer 1

Critical theory has a distinctive aim which is to unmask the ideology falsely justifying some form of social or economic oppression to reveal it as ideology and, in so doing, to contribute to the task of ending that oppression. African societies are complex and diverse, requiring an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate and understand the continent’s economic, political, social, and cultural institutions and change. As issues of social and cultural change come to the forefront, this worldview has been captured in the writings of African literary authors who utilized their oral traditions to capture the dynamism and complexity of societies undergoing change. Inevitably, issues of economic development come to the fore, and while socio-historical factors have been critical in Africa’s stunted development, it is clear that even those who have purported to assist the continent have also let it down through their policy inconsistencies.

The critical theory incorporates a wide range of approaches all focused on the idea of freeing people from the modern state and economic system a concept known to critical theorists as emancipation. Critical theory sets out to critique repressive social practices and institutions in today’s world and advance emancipation by supporting ideas and practices that meet the universalist principles of justice. This kind of critique has a transformative dimension in the sense that it aims at changing national societies, international relations, and the emerging global society, starting from alternative ideas and practices lingering in the background of the historical process.