Valentin Mudimbe 1941 – 2024
Valentin Mudimbe (1941 – 2024) was a Congolese philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Postcolonial Philosophy.
Valentin-Yves Mudimbe was a Congolese philosopher, philologist, and novelist, and one of the most incisive theorists of the colonial production of knowledge about Africa. Trained in classics and philosophy in Belgium, he taught at the National University of Zaire before going into exile and settling at Stanford and later at Duke. His Invention of Africa argued that what European discourse calls Africa is a construction of the colonial library, and his Idea of Africa extended the analysis to the production of African self-understanding within those same discursive constraints. His novels and philosophical essays move between French, Latin, and English with extraordinary range.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Congolese
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Postcolonial Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Valentin Mudimbe:
“Africa is an invention as much as a discovery.”
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Attributed to Valentin Mudimbe:
“The colonial library frames what can be said of Africa.”
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Attributed to Valentin Mudimbe:
“To write about Africa is always to write within and against a discourse.”
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Attributed to Valentin Mudimbe:
“Knowledge about Africa is rarely innocent of power.”
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Attributed to Valentin Mudimbe:
“The decolonization of thought is a long and patient labour.”
Valentin Mudimbe by topic
Frequently asked about Valentin Mudimbe
- When did Valentin Mudimbe live?
- Valentin Mudimbe was born in 1941 and died in 2024.
- Where was Valentin Mudimbe from?
- Valentin Mudimbe was a Congolese philosopher of the Contemporary era.
- What philosophical movements is Valentin Mudimbe associated with?
- Valentin Mudimbe was associated with Postcolonial Philosophy.
- What was Valentin Mudimbe known for?
- Valentin-Yves Mudimbe was a Congolese philosopher, philologist, and novelist, and one of the most incisive theorists of the colonial production of knowledge about Africa.
- How many quotes are attributed to Valentin Mudimbe?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Valentin Mudimbe in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.