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Author

Valentin Y Mudimbe

Other affiliations: Stanford University
Bio: Valentin Y Mudimbe is an academic researcher from Duke University. The author has contributed to research in topics: African philosophy & African studies. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 48 publications receiving 3574 citations. Previous affiliations of Valentin Y Mudimbe include Stanford University.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 1989
TL;DR: The meaning of Africa and of being African, what is and what is not African philosophy, and is philosophy part of Africanism are the kind of fundamental questions which this book addresses as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: What is the meaning of Africa and of being African? What is and what is not African philosophy? Is philosophy part of Africanism ? These are the kind of fundamental questions which this book addresses. North America: Indiana U Press

1,338 citations

Book
01 Jan 1988
TL;DR: The meaning of Africa and of being African, what is and what is not African philosophy, and is philosophy part of Africanism are the kind of fundamental questions which this book addresses.
Abstract: What is the meaning of Africa and of being African? What is and what is not African philosophy? Is philosophy part of Africanism ? These are the kind of fundamental questions which this book addresses. North America: Indiana U Press

1,121 citations

Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Symbols and the interpretation of the African past which idea of Africa? the power of the Greek paradigm domestication and the conflict of memories reprendre as mentioned in this paper...
Abstract: Symbols and the interpretation of the African past which idea of Africa? the power of the Greek paradigm domestication and the conflict of memories reprendre

475 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors in this paper made a strong case for the importance of research on Africa to the academy. But they did not address the question: Why should Africa be studied in the American university?
Abstract: African Studies, contrary to some accounts, is not a separate continent in the world of American higher education. Its intellectual borders touch those of economics, literature, history, philosophy and art; its history is the story of the world, both ancient and modern. This is the clear conclusion of "Africa and the Disciplines", a book that addresses the question: Why should Africa be studied in the American university? This question was put to distinguished scholars in the social sciences and humanities, prominent Africanists who are also leaders in their various disciplines. Their responses make a strong case for the importance of research on Africa to the academy. Paul Collier's essay, for example, shows how studies of African economies have clarified our understanding of the small open economies, and contributed to the theory of repressed inflation and to a number of areas in microeconomics as well. Art historian Suzanne Blier uses the terms and concepts that her discipline has applied to Africa to analyze the habits of mind and social practice of her own field. Christopher I. Miller describes the confounding and enriching impact of Africa on European and American literary theory. Political scientist Richard Sklar outlines Africa's contributions to the study of political modernization, pluralism, and rational choice. These essays, together with others from scholars in history, anthropology, philosophy, and comparative literature, attest to the influence of African research throughout the curriculum. Contributors are Paul Collier, Sally Falk Moore, Richard L. Sklar, Steven Feierman, Susan Blier, Christopher L. Miller, and Kwame Anthony Appiah, in addition to the editors.

114 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The notion of African knowledge is related to the notion of gnosko, which in ancient Greek means "to know" as discussed by the authors, a structured, common, and conventional knowledge, but strictly under the control of specific procedures for its use as well as transmission.
Abstract: This article is extracted from a larger essay which grew as a consequence (or, more exactly, as an accident) of an invitation to establish a survey on African philosophy. Strictly speaking, the notion of African philosophy refers to contributions of Africans practicing philosophy within the definite framework of the discipline and its historical tradition (Horton, 1976; Hountondji, 1977; Mudimbe, 1983b). It is only metaphorically or, at best, from a historicist perspective, that one would extend the notion to African traditional systems of thought, considering them as dynamic processes of integrating concrete experiences into the order of concepts and discourses (Ladriere, 1979: 14-15). Thus, I have preferred to title this text “African Gnosis.” J. Fabian used the notion of gnosis (1969) in his analysis of a charismatic African movement. In this contribution, the wider frame of this notion seems better to encompass the range of problems addressed, all of which are based on a preliminary question: to what extent can one speak of an “African knowledge,” and in which sense? Etymologicaly, gnosis is related to gnosko, which in ancient Greek means “to know.” It refers to a structured, common, and conventional knowledge, but strictly under the control of specific procedures for its use as well as transmission. Gnosis is, consequently, different from doxa, or opinion, and, on the other hand, cannot be confused with episteme, or general intellectual configuration.

112 citations


Cited by
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01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: Familiarity, ease of access, trust, and awareness of risks, will all be important for the future.
Abstract: 萨义德以其独特的双重身份,对西方中心权力话语做了分析,通过对文学作品、演讲演说等文本的解读,将O rie n ta lis m——"东方学",做了三重释义:一门学科、一种思维方式和一种权力话语系统,对东方学权力话语做了系统的批判,同时将东方学放入空间维度对东方学文本做了细致的解读。

3,845 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: One thing in any case is certain: man is neither the oldest nor the most constant problem that has been posed for human knowledge as discussed by the authors. And that appearance was the effect of a change in the fundamental arrangements of knowledge, if those arrangements were to disappear as they appeared.
Abstract: One thing in any case is certain: man is neither the oldest nor the most constant problem that has been posed for human knowledge. Taking a relatively short chronological sample within a restricted geographical area—European culture since the sixteenth century—one can be certain that man is a recent invention within it.. .. In fact, among all the mutations that have affected the knowledge of things and their order, the. .. only one, that which began a century and a half ago and is now perhaps drawing to a close, has made it possible for the figure of man to appear. And that appearance. .. was the effect of a change in the fundamental arrangements of knowledge.. .. If those arrangements were to disappear as they appeared. .. one can certainly wager that man would be erased.

2,042 citations

Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this article, a critical pedagogy for teaching English as a worldly language is proposed, with a focus on the role of the classroom in the development of a world language.
Abstract: Acknowledgements 1. The World in English Introduction: from Hurt Waldheim to Johnny Clegg The natural, neutral and beneficial spread of English The social, cultural and political contexts of English The worldliness of English Conclusion 2. Discourse and Dependency in a Shifting World Introduction: rethinking internationalism Development, aid and modernization Dependency and imperialism Culture, discourse, difference and disjuncture Criket, English and cultural politics 3. English and Colonialism: Origins of a Discourse Introduction: the complexities of colonialism Anglicism and Orientalism: two sides of the colonial coin English for the few: colonial education policies in Malaya Anglicism and English studies Conclusion 4. Spreading the Word/Disciplining the Language Introduction: anti-nomadic disciplines The disciplining of linguistics The disciplining of applied linguistics The spreading and disciplining of discourse of EIL 5. ELT From Development Aid to Global Commodity From cultural propaganda to global business: The British Council 'The West is better...': discourses of ELT English Language Teaching practices as cultural practices Conclusion: the compass of discourse 6. The Worldliness of English in Malaysia Contexts Cultural politics after independence Malay nationalism and English English, class and ethnicity English adn Islam English and the media The debates continue 7. The Worldliness of English in Singapore English as a useful language The making of Singapore Singapore English Pragmatism, multiracialism and meritocratism Pragmatic, multiracial and meritocratic English Conclusion 8. Writing Back: The Appropriation of English Postcolonial English Re-presenting postcolonial worlds Worldy texts in a worldly language Decentered voices: writing in Malaysia Centered voices: writing in Singapore From aestheticism to yuppyism: the new writing in Singapore From writing back to teaching back 9. Towards a Critical Pedagogy for Teaching English as a Worldly Language Critical pedagogies Discourse, language and subjectivity Insurgent knowledges, the classroom and the world References Index

1,960 citations

01 Nov 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the implications of coloniality of power regarding the history of Latin America are discussed, and some of the theoretically necessary questions about the potential implications of colonialism on Latin America's history are opened up.
Abstract: What is termedglobalization is the culmination of a process that began with the constitution of America and colonial/modern Eurocentered capitalism as a new global power. One of the fundamental axes of this model of power is the social classification of the world’s population around the idea of race, a mental construction that expresses the basic experience of colonial domination and pervades the more important dimensions of global power, including its specific rationality: Eurocentrism. The racial axis has a colonial origin and character, but it has proven to be more durable and stable than the colonialism in whose matrix it was established. Therefore, the model of power that is globally hegemonic today presupposes an element of coloniality. In what follows, my primary aim is to open up some of the theoretically necessary questions about the implications of coloniality of power regarding the history of Latin America.1

1,440 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Social memory studies is a nonparadigmatic, transdisciplinary, centerless enterprise as discussed by the authors, and despite substantial work in a variety of disciplines, substantive areas, and geographical contexts, social memory studies are a non paradigmatic and non-disciplinary enterprise.
Abstract: Despite substantial work in a variety of disciplines, substantive areas, and geographical contexts, social memory studies is a nonparadigmatic, transdisciplinary, centerless enterprise. To remedy this relative disorganization, we (re-)construct out of the diversity of work addressing social memory a useful tradition, range of working definitions, and basis for future work. We trace lineages of the enterprise, review basic definitional disputes, outline a historical approach, and review sociological theories concerning the statics and dynamics of social memory.

1,427 citations