Where did the fabled riches of the Congo go, and what happened to all the capital accumulated by colonial history? Why is Zaire still underdeveloped, while the Belgian economy now thrives? Tapping many and varied sources, this book challenges dominant historiographical assumptions and practice while analysing the past and present impact of Belgian joint stock companies on the Zairean economy. The author, an academic and specialist on African historiography and methodology, argues that colonialism paved the way for the triumphant return of other colonizers - the multinational corporations under the hegemony of the WorldBank and the International Monetary Fund, with structural adjustment replacing pacification. The author's contention is that his investigation of the Zairean economic history overturns colonial assumptions, rooting its analyses in the people's own history, raising questions both about the colonial past, but also about the framework underlying previous analyses.

From the Congo Free State to Zaire (1885-1974). Towards a Demystification of Economic and Political History

Business & Money

Depelchin, Jacques

International

Codesria

From The Congo Free State To Zaire: How Belgium Privatized The Economy; A History Of Belgian Stock Companies In Congo-Zaire, From 1885-1974

Conseil Pour Le Developement De LA

The thought-provoking essays in this volume show that it is possible to reconnect the histories of those who have been disconnected in Africa: shack dwellers, the poor, and the dispossessed. This analysis of African history demonstrates how people have been forced into looking at their own histories through a shattered mirror, deliberately and forcefully crushed so as to render the exercise impossible, and argues that history could be written in a way that would help break the mold and free it from being a hostage, consciously and unconsciously, to European and U.S. historical intellectual frameworks. It enables a reconnection to humanity—not just for the sake of Africa, but for the sake of those who did everything to bury African history.

Reclaiming African History

History

Africa

Pambazuka Press

<p>A powerful and elegant discussion, which encompasses an examination of dominant theories - political, social, economic, cultural and ideological - on Africa. The author analyses the influence of capitalism on the continent in relation to historical events over centuries. He castigates those who envision Africa solely through the eyes of colonialism. He systematically erodes misconceptions about Africa and the nature of the 'black man', which have assumed historical status.</p>

Silences In African History: Between The Syndromes Of Discovery And Abolition

Depelcin, Jacques

Mkuki Na Nyoka Pub

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