The 20th century ushered in a new era for Africa. After many centuries of existence, the African continent entered the modern world to forge a new image for Black people everywhere. And in the forefront of the great forces that shaped the destiny of Africa during this century have been Western-educated intellectuals or elites.
The purpose of this study is to present an analysis of the changing sociopolitical position of Westernized educated elites of modern Africa with particular emphasis on Liberia and Ghana. The main task is to identify and analyze the principal factors that have affected the role of the intellectuals. These factors include nationalism, European colonialism, American imperialism, the Second World War, decolonization, and sociopolitical crises of post-independent Africa (such as ethnicity and sociopolitical instability).
The study shows that since the emergence of Westernized intellectuals, their role, status, and prestige continually shifted because of forces both inside and outside of Africa. Using sociohistorical research methodology and theories of role-playing, social movements, and intellectual and cultural dependency, the study finds that the main causes for this changing position have been the power struggles between the intellectuals and other segments of their societies. Since the 19th century, the intellectuals have fought ethnic rulers, European colonialists, American imperialists, religious leaders, trade unionists, and other groups in order to gain power and control the sociopolitical dynamics of their societies.
Findings also show that despite their higher professional education and their promises of democratic rule and rapid socioeconomic development, intellectuals have not always worked in the best interest of their societies. The study reveals that intellectuals participate in corruption, abuse of power, exploitation of their own people, and other negative behaviors.
However, the study concludes that regardless of their changing position and their negative behaviors, intellectuals continue to play a major role in their societies primarily because they are the only major groups who possess the knowledge and skills to run the alien institutions that Africans inherited from the West.
