Prof Achille Mbembe (Johannesburg)
Politics, History
"Achille Mbembe (born in 1957) is one of the leading representatives of post-colonial theory world-wide and one of the few scholars from and still active in Africa to have made a name for himself in this highly topical field of research. He first took the international limelight with his book “De la postcolonie. Essai sur l’imagination politique dans l’Afrique contemporaine” (2000) (Engl.: “On the postcolony”). With his scholarly œuvre, in which he combines historiography, political analysis and philosophy in a very unique manner, Mbembe has since emerged as one of Africa’s most exciting thinkers and he enjoys a strong international reputation. His books “Critique of Black Reason”and “Sortir de la grande nuit”, which have also been translated into German are impressive testimonies to a highly independent way of thinking that shapes Mbembe’s research throughout and is as critical as it is self-critical. His deliberations on Africa’s place in the global order are both controversial and unsettling and have made an enduring mark even far beyond fundamental debates on post-colonialism. They focus attention on “Africa the Lab” beyond all the customary stereotypes and highlight links between colonialism, racism and capitalism that still require a more thorough discussion here in Germany as well." (The jury's reasoning)
