The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire

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dc.contributor.advisorJolobe, Zwelethuen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMenon ,Sunitaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-26T13:35:49Z
dc.date.available2017-01-26T13:35:49Z
dc.date.issued2016en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis paper is in response to the stereotypes perpetuated around Africa. Much like other postcolonial spaces, Africa has fallen prey to Western assumptions and stereotypes. While the continent is diverse and has multiple narratives and voices, the notion of barbaric backward Africa has lived on. The shift to independence from Belgian Congo to Zaire marked the reclamation of not only an African identity but the African voice. While his rule was characterised by patronage politics and corruption, Mobutu effectively developed a counterhegemonic discourse on the Congo through the twin processes of authenticité and Zairianization. Mobutu created an authentically African state with a common national identity while still attracting foreign investment and financial aid. It is through Edward Said's Orientalism that the "othering" and subsequent exploitation of Africa can best be understood. Orientalism has been used to explain the systematic oppression and exploitation of the Orient and has called for discourses on this from within the region. Although Mobutu has been touted as a puppet of the West, he applied the core tenets of post-colonial theory and Orientalism in his reimagining of the "the Congo". This thesis looks at the postcolonial discourse surrounding Africa and Mobutu's role in redefining the Heart of Darkness. The significance of this study is in translating Orientalism's applications to the East and the perceptions and assumptions held by the West to Africa and particularly "the Congo". Mobutu subverted the traditional colonial narrative by inventing a new Zairian identity that asserted control over the dominant colonial discourse. In a sense, what Mobutu did was to control the narrative and ensure that it was experienced by the West as an authentic African vision while transacting with the West for his own personal benefit and ensuring that he remained in power.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitation (2016). <i>The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Political Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitation. <i>"The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Political Studies, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation 2016. The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire. Thesis. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Political Studies. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Menon ,Sunita AB - This paper is in response to the stereotypes perpetuated around Africa. Much like other postcolonial spaces, Africa has fallen prey to Western assumptions and stereotypes. While the continent is diverse and has multiple narratives and voices, the notion of barbaric backward Africa has lived on. The shift to independence from Belgian Congo to Zaire marked the reclamation of not only an African identity but the African voice. While his rule was characterised by patronage politics and corruption, Mobutu effectively developed a counterhegemonic discourse on the Congo through the twin processes of authenticité and Zairianization. Mobutu created an authentically African state with a common national identity while still attracting foreign investment and financial aid. It is through Edward Said's Orientalism that the "othering" and subsequent exploitation of Africa can best be understood. Orientalism has been used to explain the systematic oppression and exploitation of the Orient and has called for discourses on this from within the region. Although Mobutu has been touted as a puppet of the West, he applied the core tenets of post-colonial theory and Orientalism in his reimagining of the "the Congo". This thesis looks at the postcolonial discourse surrounding Africa and Mobutu's role in redefining the Heart of Darkness. The significance of this study is in translating Orientalism's applications to the East and the perceptions and assumptions held by the West to Africa and particularly "the Congo". Mobutu subverted the traditional colonial narrative by inventing a new Zairian identity that asserted control over the dominant colonial discourse. In a sense, what Mobutu did was to control the narrative and ensure that it was experienced by the West as an authentic African vision while transacting with the West for his own personal benefit and ensuring that he remained in power. DA - 2016 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2016 T1 - The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire TI - The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403
dc.identifier.vancouvercitation. The creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaire. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Political Studies, 2016 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23403en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Political Studiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherPolitical Studiesen_ZA
dc.titleThe creation of a national identity: construction and representations with a case study of Mobutu's Zaireen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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