African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demography ...

, Afro-pessimism refers to a view popularised in the 1980s and 1990s which expressed doubt about the possibility of sustainable peace,

democratization Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a ful ...

, and

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. According to the American policy analyst

David Rieff David Rieff (; born September 28, 1952) is an American non-fiction writer and policy analyst. His books have focused on issues of immigration, international conflict, and humanitarianism. Biography Rieff is the only child of Susan Sontag, who ...

, the view held that "while Africa's promise remained undeniable" in view of its natural resources, "the continent was seen as the one part of the world for which the future was likely to be far worse than the past" after the decline of initial optimism following

decolonisation Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...

in the 1960s and the sharp fall in living standards in the 1970s. Afro-pessimism was coined by

Michel Aurillac Michel Aurillac (11 July 1928 – 6 July 2017) was a French lawyer, politician and author. He served as a member of the National Assembly for Indre from 1978 to 1981, and in 1986. He was the Minister of Cooperation from 1986 to 1988. He won the 19 ...

, French Minister of Cooperation, in an article for the

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

in 1988 as a pejorative term to criticise the pessimistic views of Africa's Western creditors. Pointing to the influence of Western media perceptions in cultivating the stereotypes, David F. Gordon and

Howard Wolpe Howard Eliot Wolpe (November 3, 1939 – October 25, 2011) was an American politician who served as a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan and Presidential Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes Region in the Clinton Administration, wher ...

wrote in 1998: The term was largely repudiated by those considered to be adherents who instead preferred the term ''Afro-realism'' claiming to recognise genuine contemporary problems in Africa while also rejecting any suggestion of the impossibility of resolution or progress. Those who rejected ''Afro-pessimism'' sometimes embraced the label ''Afro-optimism''.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Economic history of Africa Development in Africa 1980s in Africa 1990s in Africa Controversies in Africa

See also

References