What African State are you referring to? Different ontologies different States

Abstract

African states have been analysed under the label of “failed states”, “collapsed states” and “predatory states”. In this sense, without the intention of analysing the scope of transformations resulting from changes of political regimes, this qualitative essay based on literature review, analyses how the use of ontologies has produced different “images” of African States. It is argued that the images produced are anchored to the dominant objectivist and subjectivist ontologies of the 70s and 80s, which applied in the analysis of African States are very limited. Accordingly, it is suggested the adoption of intersubjectivist ontology, which, favouring the joint construction of meanings and knowledge, is more apt to capture the organizational dynamics that have been influenced by ubuntu (“I am because we are; I can only be one person through others”) considered the African philosophy of life, management, and leadership.