The Transformative Power of Language : From Postcolonial to Knowledge Societies in Africa

With contributions from a team of global scholars, the book highlights the role of language in sociocultural, academic and economic advancement, in postcolonial Africa. It explores how the integration of global and local linguistic and cultural resources help to achieve mental decolonisation and create globally competitive knowledge societies.

Language has played a pivotal role in societal transformation in postcolonial Africa towards the creation of globally competitive knowledge societies; however so far, this role has been under-researched and under-estimated. This volume addresses this gap in the literature, by bringing together a team of globally-recognised scholars to explore the effect of language on African postcolonial societies, and how it has contributed to achieving ''mental decolonisation''. A range of languages are explored, both imported (ex-colonial) and indigenous African, and case studies from different spheres of public discourse are investigated, from universities to legal settings. Demonstrating that multilingualism is a resource for, rather than barrier to, successful transformation, this book brings the intellectualisation and institutionalisation of African languages to the forefront of development discourse, and provides an insightful snap-shot of how current academic research, public discourse, political activism and social community engagement have contributed to societal transformation in South Africa.