Decolonizing Theories of Regional Integration

Abstract

Interview with Dr. Ernest Toochi Aniche, Federal University Otuoke, Nigeria Ernest Toochi Aniche, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and the Acting Head of the Department of Political Science, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. He holds BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees from the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria with a specialization in International Relations. He is developing a new theory of African Integration (Post-Neofunctionalism), deconstructing the traditional Neo-functionalist approach. Dr. Aniche is a prolific scholar with over a hundred publications, including articles in dozens of the world’s most renowned African studies journals. He has also published co-edited books and authored and co-authored chapters in books published by reputable publishers such as Routledge (Taylor & Francis), Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature), Rowman & Littlefield International, Lexington Books, and Oxford University Press. The highlight of his career was co-editing books with the African scholar legend, Professor Toyin Falola. He is on the editorial boards of journals and publishers, particularly Springer Nature (SN) Social Sciences, Ubuntu: Journal of Conflict and Social Transformation, and Cambridge Scholars Publishing. In his interview, he explains what prompted him to develop his own theory of African integration, which would actually contribute to the development of the continent. He explains the reasons for the crisis tendencies of modern African regionalism, a manifestation of which is the creation of the Sahel State Alliance. He pays particular attention to the prospects for decolonizing social knowledge about Africa. He provides inspiring cases of those African intellectuals who were able to transform the study of politics from Political Science in Africa to African Political Science, as well as to decolonize African regionalism and African border and migration studies.