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Sociology

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Conceptualizations of Africa

Part of the book series: African Studies and Research Forum Series ((ASRFS))

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Abstract

This chapter conceptualizes what Africa is in the field of Sociology, the field that is concerned with the science of the activities and behaviors of human society and group relations. To achieve this, the assessment of the scope and nature of relationships between and among cultures, societies, countries, and continents, both historically and geographically, is required. Considering the broad, dynamic, and complex nature of human relationships, both within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, it is expected that many conceptualizations will emerge. Nonetheless, dealing with all these conceptualizations in a single chapter is apparently not feasible. Thus, three important conceptualizations that explain what Africa is in the current sociological discourse are examined, and these include (1) Africa as the cradle of humankind and of sociological knowledge, (2) Africa as the source of human capital to the world, and (3) Africa as the home of pluralism and collectivism.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Criminology and Security Studies, Achievers University, Owo, Nigeria

    Isaac Akintoyese Oyekola

Authors
  1. Isaac Akintoyese Oyekola
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Correspondence to Isaac Akintoyese Oyekola .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Global Peace, American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Abdul Karim Bangura

  2. Political Science Department, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA

    JP Afamefuna Ifedi

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Oyekola, I.A. (2024). Sociology. In: Bangura, A.K., Ifedi, J.A. (eds) Conceptualizations of Africa. African Studies and Research Forum Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-74535-5_13

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