Barring a few general works dealing with the under-developed countries, the economic surveys by the United Nations commissions and old administrative reports by the erstwhile colonial governments, there are few specialized works dealing specifically with the economic problems of the various developing countries of Africa. Critical works analysing the background and suggesting new lines of thought or development are fewer still. This is probably because African studies were hitherto concentrated more on sociological aspects concerning tribal societies and practices. Dan Mole’s critique of ‘imperialist heritage’ in Africa is therefore a most welcome and timely study. As the title suggests, it is a severe indictment both of past practices and of present manipulations of imperialist powers. It is a book written with great power and passion and also with erudition. It is likely to make a powerful impact on the economic thought and perhaps also policies of the developing African countries.
The Shadow of Neocolonialism
G.N. Rao
THE HERITAGE OF IMPERIALISM by Dan Mole Asia Publishing House, Bombay, 1976, 555 pp., 70
Neo-Colonialism in West Africaby Samir Amin. Translated from French by Francis McDonagh Monthly Review Press, New York and London, 1973, pp., price not stated298
January 1976, volume 1, No 1