India's development diplomacy and soft power in Africa

Indian state and non-state actors have deployed their soft power in Africa from India’s independence. Since then, as a result of internal shifts brought on by economic liberalisation, the rise of the political right and the quest for greater regional and global influence, India’s geopolitical imaginary has changed. Hitherto shaped by a shared sense of postcolonial marginality, Third Worldism and South-South cooperation, the country’s relationship with Africa is being reconfigured by a growing sense of Indian exceptionalism. This volume explores key elements at the heart of this Africa policy, from India’s capacity-building for Africa to its global educational ambitions. Through research in Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, the contributors explore how India’s soft power has been conceptu­alised and enacted in schemes such as Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation, African scholarships, the Pan-African e-network, Gandhi statuary and India’s Covid-19 outreach to Africa. About the Author Kenneth King is Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, former Director of its Centre for African Studies and author of China’s Aid and Soft Power in Africa (2013). Meera Venkatachalam is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Mumbai and co-editor of India-Africa Partnerships for Food Security and Capacity Building: South-South Cooperation (2021).