V.Y. Mudimbe
The Congolese philosopher, professor, and author of novels, poems, as well as books and articles on African culture and intellectual history, has impacted greatly on disciplines such as Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, History, Linguistics and Literature. The 77-year-old, who taught at Haverford College and Stanford University, and is now Professor Emeritus in the Program in Literature at Duke University focuses more on phenomenology, structuralism, mythical narratives, and the practice and use of language. He has also taught courses on these topics, and on ancient Greek cultural geography. His much-talked-about book, The Invention of Africa (1988), which is very crucial in the field of African studies, addresses the several scholarly discourses that are available (both African and non-African) with regards to the meaning of Africa and being African.
