What is it that we want to destroy in our land? The colonial domination of the tugas. Resistance is the following: to destroy one thing for the sake of constructing another. What follows from this regarding democracy, impartiality and justice? In answering this with reference to some social movements, the article then defends the political potential of conflict, partisan positions, resistance and political change directed towards overcoming domination. This involves a distinction between realistic political theory and realism in political thought where only the latter demands utopian thinking. Yet, reading Sen alongside the ideas of one of Africa's most successful anti-colonial political leaders is revelatory: it provides the basis for the argument that radical realism is most valuable if it is action-guiding, comparative and about context-specific change. Sen's path-breaking work has been transformative for multiple disciplines, not least development. This article compares the ideas of AmÃlcar Cabral and Amartya Sen on capability, freedom, resistance and political change, thereby revealing the importance of radical realism in political thought and development studies.
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