Contribution short abstract:

Racism and colonialism shape regional conceptions beyond geographical space. This can be shown in the context of East African borders, regional integration and PanAfrican solidarity. As co-speaker of the GAA group “Africa”, this panel is a chance to overcome the regional limits of our working units.

Contribution long abstract:

The regional construction of “Africa” has been a fundamental element of colonisation in two ways. Firstly, internal borders were established as colonial inventions to assist imperial exploitation and to consolidate power. Secondly, the idea of an unambiguous distinction between “Europe” and “Africa” has been based on racist ideologies, which substantiated intervention. The “bordering of Africa” has had a number of negative consequences, such as obstacles to economic growth and mobility; violent border and resource conflicts; an increasingly defensive EU border regime, which callously accepts deaths in the mediterranean “frontier” zone; neglection of inner plurality, everyday racism and othering of Black people in Europe.

Likewise in East Africa, colonial borders, cumbersome bureaucracies and territorial conflicts shape the region until today. Moreover, some of the existing ethno-political boundaries were influenced by European racist ideologies. At the same time, one can observe various acts of resistance to the status quo. Firstly, on a local level, communities have continued to rely on cross-border solidarity networks and shared resources, and maintain alternative regional formations and political units (Asiwaju 1985). A second example is the introduction of new forms of collaborative border management and strengthened regional integration by African governments (Mbembe 2001). This is connected to a third point: the idea of Pan-African solidarity. As a key concept of decolonial independence movements, with international main figures such as Marcus Garvey or W.E.B. Du Bois, it transgresses the geographical space beyond the African continent. More recently, the BlackLivesMatter Movement provides a united empowerment space beyond regional limitations.