Decolonisation of Materialities or Materialisation of (Re-)Colonisation?

Contemporary scholarly discourses about decolonising materialities
are taking two noticeable trajectories, the first trajectory privileges
establishing “connections”, “relationships” and “associations” between
human beings and nature. The second trajectory privileges restoration,
restitution, reparations for colonial dispossessions, lootings and
disinheritance. While the first trajectory presupposes that colonialism
was merely about “separation”, “alienation”, and “disconnections”
between human beings and nature, the second trajectory stresses the
colonialists’ dispossession, disinheritance and privations of Africans.

Drawing on contemporary discourses about materialities in relation to
semiotics, (non-)representationalism, rhetoric, ecocriticism,
territorialisation, deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation,
translation, animism, science and technology studies, this book teases
out the intellectually rutted terrain of African materialities. It
argues that in a world of increasing impoverishment, the significance of
materialities cannot be overemphasised: more so for the continent of
Africa where impoverishment “materialises” in the midst of resource
opulence. The book is a pacesetter in no holds barred interrogation of
African materialities.