Dark Continent Ideology Analysis

According to Dr. Holloway, history is a narrative that is told by the winners and “can be used as a tool to alter true stories of the losers by the winners”. This fact is important to acknowledge when examining the historical context of the past and that way in which it is presented today. The creation of the “Dark Continent” ideology has contributed to negative stereotypes about African history through the development of racism and fundamental misunderstandings on African culture and the people of Africa. This paper will argue that the term “Dark Continent” used in both the figurative and literal sense has contributed to the denial of African history and the establishment of a Eurocentric historical hierarchy. First, Dark will be discussed in literal terms by means of racial identity and secondly the figurative meaning of Dark will be examined in terms of unknown and uncivilized. The Dark Continent ideology can be interpreted in literal terms as a description of skin color through the socially constructed concept of race. Race plays an important role in …show more content…
The Dark Continent ideology contributes to the perception of African inferiority because “the colonialist historiography argued a dismal situation in Africa that prompted Europeans to embark on a civilizing mission”. Furthermore, when the historical narrative focused on actual native Africans, “ the premise of colonial historiography was still basically racist and hegemonic”. The Europeans colonists justified their presence through the rationale that they were civilizing the savages of Africa, who up until the existence of European occupation had no legitimate history. The Dark Continent ideology rationalizes colonialism in Africa and advances the stereotype of Africa as a wild, unknown, and uncivilized continent that is not deserving of historical