Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique

According to the philosopher Stephen Toulmin there is a standard account of modernity which gives primacy to the written over the oral, the universal over the particular, the general over the local and the timeless over the timely. This paper draws from Toulmin to argue that accounts of modernity in...

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Main Author: Elísio Macamo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa 2010-06-01
Series:Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cea/73
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author Elísio Macamo
author_facet Elísio Macamo
author_sort Elísio Macamo
collection DOAJ
description According to the philosopher Stephen Toulmin there is a standard account of modernity which gives primacy to the written over the oral, the universal over the particular, the general over the local and the timeless over the timely. This paper draws from Toulmin to argue that accounts of modernity in Africa are based on the assumptions of the standard account of modernity to deny modernity to Africa even though these assumptions inhere in actual practices as the analysis of the work of a non-governmental organization operating in Mozambique seeks to document. The paper will therefore argue that modernity is real and that it shows its reality in the way in which particular social conditions and categories are done, i.e. through meanings, methods, motives and the management of the social relationship which they bring forth.
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spelling doaj-art-fbd05aa286f148c49257f96f358c7caa2025-08-20T03:07:16ZengInstituto Universitário de LisboaCadernos de Estudos Africanos1645-37942182-74002010-06-0118194610.4000/cea.73Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in MozambiqueElísio MacamoAccording to the philosopher Stephen Toulmin there is a standard account of modernity which gives primacy to the written over the oral, the universal over the particular, the general over the local and the timeless over the timely. This paper draws from Toulmin to argue that accounts of modernity in Africa are based on the assumptions of the standard account of modernity to deny modernity to Africa even though these assumptions inhere in actual practices as the analysis of the work of a non-governmental organization operating in Mozambique seeks to document. The paper will therefore argue that modernity is real and that it shows its reality in the way in which particular social conditions and categories are done, i.e. through meanings, methods, motives and the management of the social relationship which they bring forth.https://journals.openedition.org/cea/73youthmodernityNGOMozambique
spellingShingle Elísio Macamo
Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
youth
modernity
NGO
Mozambique
title Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
title_full Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
title_fullStr Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
title_full_unstemmed Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
title_short Making modernity asscountable: A case study of youth in Mozambique
title_sort making modernity asscountable a case study of youth in mozambique
topic youth
modernity
NGO
Mozambique
url https://journals.openedition.org/cea/73
work_keys_str_mv AT elisiomacamo makingmodernityasscountableacasestudyofyouthinmozambique