CLASH OF EURO-AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS: GLOBALISATION PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Globalisation promised integration and mutual benefit to the North and South. Yet, the enduring imbalance in Euro-African political, economic, cultural, and technological relations enforces European dominance and African marginalisation. This study, therefore, interrogated the persistent clash of European and African civilisations from a globalisation perspective, exploring how historical asymmetries and neo-colonial structures continue to shape Euro-African relations. Anchored on Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilisations theory, the study adopts a qualitative approach, involving the content analysis of documents. Findings revealed that globalisation functions as a vehicle for modern imperialism, intensifying Africa’s economic and political dependency through unequal trade agreements, digital colonialism, cultural suppression, and manipulation by international institutions. Nevertheless, the study highlights growing resistance through Pan-Africanism, regional trade integration, digital sovereignty movements, and intellectual decolonisation. It was concluded that the clash of Euro-African civilisations is an evolving struggle shaped by globalisation’s exploitative design and calls for a reimagining of global systems to foster equity. The study recommended the renegotiation of trade terms, technological self-determination, dismantling of neo-colonial financial/military legacies, and reform of international institutions to empower African agencies. Without these interventions, globalisation risks perpetuating the very hierarchies it claims to transcend, making genuine collaboration between Europe and Africa elusive and fragile.