Postcolonial Constructivism

This book introduces Ali Mazrui’s delightfully stimulating scholarship about intercultural relations, calling it Postcolonial Constructivism, and shares elements of his intellectual vitality in an original way.  It begins with a chronicle of Mazrui’s eventful, sixty-year journey as a scholar of International Relations. It then proceeds to present some of the most remarkable yet least remarked up on features of his intellectualism, including his paradoxes, his perceptive typologies, his neologisms as well as his interactions with historical figures. The book draws on materials which were either unavailable until now or were found scattered in time and space. Designed as an invitation to a wider audience to the supermarket of Mazrui’s ideas, this book also seeks to underscore the timeliness and possible durability of many of his observations about intercultural relations.Thorough, comprehensive and up-to-date, this book is a concise account of the core of Mazrui’s vast body of work.

“Postcolonial Constructivism reignites the spirit of Pan-Africanism and draws attention to the myriad issues that Africa faces under globalization. The author’s exposition of Mazrui, his works, and philosophy leaves no doubt that in Ali Mazrui, Africa possessed a multifaceted scholar who shone bright in the world of academia. … Mazrui’s unique analysis and interdisciplinary blend makes for interesting reading.” (Edgar Githua, African Studies Quarterly, December 2023)

“Postcolonial Constructivism: Mazrui’s Theory of Intercultural Relations, is … very welcome news. … A major contribution of this book is that it uniquely enriches the taxonomies of constructivism in IR. … this book is a must-read for those concerned with the alternative and reflexive analysis in IR, beyond Eurocentric approaches. … Adem’s book on Ali Mazrui has great potential for enriching the ontological and epistemological territories of scholarship both by introducing Mazrui as a formidable public intellectual and IR scholar.” (Selman Emre Gürbüz, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, May 9, 2022)

“Seifudein Adem has done a great service to all of us who focus on learning about and publicizing the contributions of global south scholars to current Western-dominant international relations approaches. In this well-organized work, he manages to synthesize the prolific intellectual contributions of the consummate and outstanding African scholar Ali Mazrui, using what he calls 'postcolonial constructivism', while making clear that Mazrui’s work cannot solely be restricted to prevailing perspectives. At the same time, his personal friendship and close working relationship with Mazrui allow him to offer the reader a unique glimpse of the witty Africanist who was befriended by so many, including major political figures. Given the current drive to “globalize” international relations, this book is a timely contribution that highlights the overlooked, rich narratives of scholars and thinkers from the global south.” (Jacqueline Anne Braveboy-Wagner, Professor, The City University of New York, USA)

“Ali Mazrui’s remarkable corpus lives, and Seifudein Adem interprets it for today when its salience is undeniable around race, religion etc. Adem’s decade with the maestro maximizes his book’s insights for Africa and the world as both are in flux.” (Timothy M. Shaw, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University and University of Ottawa, Canada)

“Passionate about preserving African culture and the dignity of her people, Ali Mazrui was never oblivious to the forces of globalization, positive or negative, and hence the emergence of a world federation of cultures in which his scholarship lived, moved and had its being. He was a global scholar who contributed immensely to the analysis and interpretation of various aspects of international relations, social conflicts, the human condition and the future of humankind in a changing world. His ideas quite often sprang from lived experiences and discourses from which he churned out chains of books and articles whose styles were peculiar to himself in what came to be referred to as 'Mazruiana'. This book finally tells the story of the genesis and evolution of this body of thought and its contribution to knowledge.” (P. Anyang’ Nyong’o, Professor and Kenyan Politician, Kenya)

“This is the ultimate compendium of Ali Mazrui’s interactions with men and women of power, among others, including several presidents and prime ministers. It also captures Mazrui’s unique approach to scholarship and has a large collection of his deeply thoughtful paradoxes and analytical categories.” (Amadu Jacky Kaba, Professor, Seton Hall University, USA)

Seifudein Adem is Professor of Global Studies, Doshisha University, Japan, and Research Associate at the Ali Mazrui Center for Higher Education Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.  Previously he was Associate Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University, USA.