Agency and Relationality in Africa-China Relations

Abstract Debates concerning the relevance or appropriateness of the term colonialism to describe Africa-China relations are often opposed to arguments about the relevance of African agency in shaping either the benefits and consequences of relations with China. While these arguments may provide a corrective to the Sinocentrism of the China-Africa discourse exemplified in the geopolitical specter of “colonialism,” they also decenter critical perspectives on global political economy and their relation to the legacies of colonialism. Nonetheless, it matters who is making these arguments and the kinds of political work they allow. The author argues that discourses surrounding agency in both academic contexts and everyday discussions are not just empirical claims but also political claims that do different kinds of work depending on the context, audience, and scale of political action. What is at stake are the politics of holding actors and entities responsible for processes that are relationally co-constituted. While the discourse of South-South cooperation gestures toward the recognition of the uneven interdependence of people in the world, we must distinguish between the relationality-of-being in the global capitalist order and the varied projects to build equitable relationships otherwise within those conditions of possibility.