Transcoloniality and Some Post-Secular Realities in Africa: A Focus on the Place of Religion and Ideology in Development
My aim in this paper is to explore the quest for freedom and development or different types of freedom as Mdevelopment in the march of African history; and, the nature and impact of religion in this unfolding of history and development. To this end, I shall adopt the normative consequences approach, which as we will be demonstrated is most germane for the emerging post-secular era. The normative consequences approach goes back to Max Weber in modern times, and beyond. Briefly and simply put, it holds that norms have consequences. Norms are the basic building blocks of culture and they are founded ultimately on philosophical norms, especially the supreme beliefs and values of a people. Beliefs and values are supreme, if they cannot be decomposed any further, and if other values and beliefs in the cultural system derive directly or indirectly from them or are compatible with them. Values and beliefs that contradict them must be jettisoned. In this formal causal manner, supreme beliefs and values, compose and frame (formally cause) all our dominant norms, knowledge generation and acquisition, and thus our intelligence quotient and the content of our intelligence; our morality, attitudes and habits and thus our emotional intelligence, social intelligence, adversity quotient and spiritual intelligence in a significant way
Keywords: africa, development, focus, ideology, place, post-secular, realities, religion, transcoloniality