La mise en dépendance de l'Afrique noire. Essai de périodisation, 1800-1970

Abstract

C. Coquery-Vidrovitch—Making Africa Dépendent : A Tentative Period-Definition 1800-1970. The present situation in Africa may be explained in terms of integration into the world dominant capitalist-imperialist system, industrialized Western countries forming the Centre of this System while the so-called underdeveloped countries form the Periphery (Samir Amin). Precolonial modes of production in Africa fell under the general heading of ' tributary ' characterized, inter alias, by a low level of technology, the irrelevance of market economy, and a stress, on usage rather than market values. The colonial expansion, started after the industrial revolution, resulted in making African societies dependent in ail fields. The process can be divided into three stages : instauration of the trading economy (1800-1850); pre-colonial latency phase (1850-1880) ; and, finally, the colonial stage proper, subdivided into two major sub-periods, i. e. before and after the great World Depression. The present stage is imperialistic rather than colonial : Africa is being exploited under the capitalist mode of production and the development ideology is still aggravating her dependent status.