Contextualising African Identities, Othering and the Politics of Space

Postcolonial theory as emerging since the late 1980s has contributed to new approaches to (re-)claiming historical processes, thereby supporting and promoting the (re-)positioning of those forced to the margins in new discourses. But while mainly located in the critique of the dominant theories and providing space for alternative approaches and perspectives, a deeper understanding of complex dynamics requires a challenge in terms of further explorations into representational practices in context. This includes the need for further analyses of ‘othering’ by scrutinising representational practices in context and at the intersection of space and time, also within and not only through lenses of African Studies. This piece sketches the background to this project on ‘African Identities and the Politics of Space and Othering’ and frames the individual contributions to follow.