Modern african regionalism in civilizational measurement

Abstract

The nature of African regionalism in the context of civilizational development is considered. The main research approach is the historical reconstruction of the map of events and a systematic view of the object of knowledge. Using the expression “African civilizations”, the authors give an account of its conventionality, since the most of the major socio-cultural communities of the continent have an insufficient set of necessary features. The authors call them protocivilizations. Modern civilizational regionalism of Africa is analyzed within the framework of theoretical ideas of “conglomerate societies” characterized by long-term co-existence and stable reproduction of layers of heterogeneous model-forming elements and relations based on them. Among the spatial forms of regionalism stands out “macro” and “local”. The first is associated with numerous attempts at economic integration of states, the second is associated with the processes of tribalism and has predominantly ethnic nature. It is concluded that the globalization of the world economy and the processes of regionalism it creates are still poorly manifested on the African continent.