The Concept of Labour and Social Relations in Claude Ake’s Philosophy: Implications for Africa.
ABSTRACT
Labour is primarily human effort applied in production for the provision of food for the sustenance of his being. Human labour is also used to make tools which make for the creation and recreation of his economic and other material conditions.
For Claude Ake, man creates cultures, history and civilization which affect his overall consciousness through labour. It is therefore most important to man.
However, Ake notes that studies reveal that as societies develop and owing to the complexities in the production process, social relations are formed in relation to those who own the means of production and those who do not.
While the class of those who benefit from the prevailing social structure attempt to maintain the status quo, the other class struggles to change the existing system.
This leads to antagonism between these social groups.For him therefore, there is an intrinsic link between labour and social relations.
Ake therefore studies the prevalent social conflicts in Africa and links these to the social relations of production introduced into Africa through colonialism and imperialism.
The main objective of this study is to examine the implication of labour and social relations in Claude Ake’s philosophy for Africa. The specific objectives of this study are to (i) look at the link between labour and social relationships and (ii) how these relationships create social problems in Africa.
The qualitative research design was used for the study. The data for this work were sourced basically from the library, books and journals. The historical and expository methods were used to situate Claude Ake and his place in history while exposing his concepts of labour and social relations.
After a critical analysis and evaluations, the study concludes that social relations are formed by man’s relative position in the productive process.
The study established that Ake’s theory of labour and social relation in Africa is influenced by his reflections on capitalism, especially the impact of colonialism and imperialism in Africa.
From Ake’s point of view, Africa’s contact with colonialism imposed a concept of labour that is exploitative and ant-Africa the contact The work argues following Ake’s logic that Africans condition, bad as it is, can only be redressed through a genuine democratic African leadership.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page – – – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page – – – – – – – – – ii
Certification- – – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgements – – – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – – – –
viii
Abstract – – – – – – – – – – xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study – – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem- – – – – – – 5
1.3 Purpose of the Study – – – – – – – 7
1.4 Thesis of the Study – – – – – – – 7
1.5 Scope of the Study- – – – – – – – 8
1.6 Significance of the Study – – – – – – – 8
1.7 Methodology – – – – – – – – 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Literature Review – – – – – – – -10
2.2 A Brief Biography of Claude Ake – – – – -37
2.3 Ake’s Methodology- – – – – – – -42
2.4 Towards Ake’s Notion of Labour- – – – – -46
CHAPTER THREE: CLAUDE AKE’S CONCEPT OF LABOUR
3.1 Introduction- – – – – – – – -54
3.2 The Labour Process- – – – – – – -62
3.3 The productive Forces- – – – – – – -64
3.4 Social Relations of production – – – – – -65
3.5 Necessary Labour – – – – – – – -72
3.6 Surplus LabourProduct – – – – – – -73
CHAPTER FOUR: THE AFRICAN CONDITION- – – -77
CHAPTER FIVE: IMPLICATIONS OF AKE’S CONCEPT OF LABOUR FOR AFRICA
5.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – -96
5.2 Ethnic Conflicts – – – – – – – -108
5.3 Political Confusion – – – – – – -112
5.4 Military Incursions- – – – – – – -95
5.5 Economic Stagnation – – – — – – -97
CHAPTER SIX: EVALUATION, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
6.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – -125
6.2 Evaluation – – – – – – – – -125
6.3 Summary and Conclusion – – – – – -129
BIBLIOGRAPHY – – – – – – -134
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The basic natural impulse of man is the preservation of his existence. What this implies is that man tries to protect his existence foremost before considerations are given to other needs. It means therefore, that he has to live in the first instance, before his essence.
This is the primacy of the human existence which, for existentialist thinkers, is what should genuinely engage philosophers.
To live or to preserve his existence, man must keep his body nourished by food; and to provide for food means that he must work. This means that he must use his energy to convert what is given in nature to become useful to him.
This work is therefore motivated by the fact that labour which should serve as a human activity that allows man to sustain his very existence has become a tool for self destruction arising from the class divisions, antagonisms and conflicts the appropriation of the products of labour engenders in modern society.
This is more so because even though the prodigality of nature has provided man with the basic materials to meet his existential needs, however, the provident of nature rarely exists in forms directly suitable to meet man’s needs.
It is, therefore, required of human labour to make nature suitable for his use. And in so doing, in modern terms, society is divided into antagonistic and self destructive classes of those who own only their labour power and those who own the means of production and so appropriate the product of labour and even manipulate the labour power of others.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ake, Claude. A Political Economy of Africa. Ibadan: Longman, 2005.
Ake, Claude. Democracy and Development in Africa. Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 2003).
Ake, Claude. Revolutionary Pressures in Africa. London: Zed Press, 1978. Ake, Claude. Social Science as Imperialism: The Theory of Political Development. Ibadan: IUP, 1979.
Ake, Claude. ‘A Definition of Political Stability’, Comparative Politics, Vol.7, No,2 (Jan.,1975):270—283.http//www.jstor.org/stable/421552.
Ake, Claude. ‘Charismatic Legitimation and Political Integration’. Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vo.9, No.1 (Oct., 1966):1- 13.http//www.jstor.org/stable/177832.
Ake, Claude. ‘Explanatory Notes on the Political Economy of Africa’, Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 14, No. 1. (Mar., 1976). Cambridge University Press.http://www.jstor.org/stable/159645.
Ake, Claude. ‘Explaining Political Instability in New States’, Journal of Modern African Studies, Vo.11, No.3 (Sept., 1973):347-359. http//www.jstor.org/stable/159604.
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