DEPENDENCY OR COMPLEX INTERDEPENDENCE: AFRICA IN SEARCH OF THEORETICAL EMANCIPATION IN CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL POWER PLAY
This paper examines whether dependency theory or complex interdependence provides a more convincing explanation of Africa’s position in contemporary global power relations. Although Africa has become increasingly integrated into global trade, finance, diplomacy, and institutional networks, this study argues that such integration has not translated into structural autonomy or equitable development. Using a qualitative research design based on documentary analysis of secondary sources, the paper draws on thematic content analysis of foundational theoretical texts, contemporary scholarly literature, and empirical studies on Africa’s political economy. The analysis compares the assumptions of dependency theory and complex interdependence and applies them to key dimensions of Africa’s global engagement, including trade structure, external finance, South–South cooperation, multipolarity, and knowledge production. The findings show that while contemporary African global engagement exhibits the formal features of interdependence, its substantive outcomes remain shaped by enduring asymmetries in production, capital, technology, and institutional power. Emerging partnerships with non-Western actors diversify Africa’s external relations but often reconfigure rather than eliminate dependency. The study further argues that Africa’s subordinate position is not only material but also epistemic, as externally generated frameworks continue to shape the interpretation of African realities. The paper concludes that Africa’s contemporary condition is best understood as interdependence within dependency, and that dependency theory, especially when extended to include epistemic dimensions, remains the more persuasive framework for explaining Africa’s place in the current global order.
Keywords: Dependency theory, Complex interdependence, Africa, Global political economy; Structural inequality, South–South cooperation, Theoretical emancipation.
