| dc.description.abstract |
Africa is at the crossroads, torn between the quest to develop and compete with other
countries of the world, and the urgent need to solve the plethora of problems haunting her,
such as horrific poverty, tribalism, civil strife, widespread diseases etcetera. Against this
background, how then does the Social Sciences and Humanities come in?
This paper takes the view that the Social Sciences and Humanities if given its rightful place, both
in the curricula and in the socio-economic and political arena, can bring order, stability and a
sense of direction to humanity. It is further argued that it would be foolhardy for any policy
maker to give priority to the hard or natural Sciences and place the Social Sciences in the back
seat.
Development in its entirety does not imply the acquisition of the latest state of the art electrical
and electronic equipment, skyscrapers and super-highways. In the paper it is argued that
development can only be meaningful if it takes into consideration the feelings, hopes, fears and
the thrust of the people’s lifestyles. In short, I mean development with a human face. This is
where the Social Sciences and humanities come in.
The paper will first look at the nature and role of the Social Sciences and humanities, the
problems/difficulties encountered, then finally, it makes observations/suggestions on which
way forward. |
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