The legacies of colonialism on the African soil have had a profound and long-lasting impact on the construction of the identity of the people of African descent. This is because nations across the continent have endured and battled against the complex process of decolonization, and this has led to the conversations around individual and collective identity. In light of this, the purpose of this paper is to understand how colonial legacies and resistance shape individual and collective identities in postcolonial African societies. It does this by exploring the relationship between postcolonialism and identity in Africa, drawing from the lived experiences of African peoples. The theoretical framework of this study is the cultural identity theory developed by scholars such as Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy (1990). These theory conceptualises identity as fluid and shaped by a complex relationship between historical, cultural, and social factors, thereby providing for an understanding of the transformative nature of postcolonial African identities. The methodology for this study is a literature review of already published studies on the multifaceted nature of identity construction in the postcolonial African experience. The findings reveal that colonial legacies have shaped identity formation in complex ways. The analysis of secondary sources further illuminates how postcolonial Africans have continuously negotiated their sense of self and belonging within shifting historical, political, and social landscapes.

Authors:
Opeoluwa Opeyemi Aluko, University of the Free State, South Africa
Desiree Pearl Larey, University of the Free State, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Opeoluwa Opeyemi Aluko is currently a Master's student in Comparative Education at the University of the Free State and her research focuses on student agency from historically disadvantaged background students within South Africa.

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