Re-Grounding African Studies: From Identity to Self-efficacy

Abstract

The field of African studies is supposed to explore human existence and contributions on Africa. The field has largely been defined and grounded by various essentialist claims of unique African identity. We highlight in this article why claims of unique identity constitute a weak ground for African studies, and why such a ground needs to be reflexively reconstructed. Dialectic-philosophical approach was adopted for the study. The study concluded that a more theoretically and practically significant field of African studies needs to be re-grounded on self-efficacy and Africa's contribution to universal human solidarity.