Achille Mbembe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Achille Mbembe
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Mbembe in 2015
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Joseph-Achille Mbembe
1957 (age 67–68) Otélé, French Cameroon
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| Nationality | Cameroonian |
| Alma mater | Sorbonne Instituts d'études politiques |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Nuttall |
| Awards | Geschwister-Scholl-Preis |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of the Witwatersrand, Duke University |
| Influences | Jean-Marc Ela, Fabien Eboussi Boulaga, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Bernard Stiegler, Hannah Arendt |
Joseph-Achille Mbembe (born 1957) is a famous historian and political thinker from Cameroon, a country in Africa. He is a research professor at the Wits Institute for Social and Economy Research at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
He is well known for his writings about colonialism (when one country rules another) and its effects. He is also a leading figure in a new way of thinking called French critical theory.
Contents
Achille Mbembe's Life Story
Mbembe was born near Otélé in Cameroon in 1957. He studied history in Paris, France, and earned his Ph.D. (a high university degree) in 1989. He also studied political science in Paris.
Where Mbembe Has Taught
Achille Mbembe has taught at many famous universities around the world. These include Columbia University in New York and Yale University in the United States. He also worked at the Brookings Institution and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
He was a professor at Harvard University and gave a special lecture at Stanford University in 2020.
Mbembe's Important Books and Awards
Mbembe has written many books about African history and politics. One of his most famous books is On the Postcolony. It was first published in French in 2000 and then in English in 2001.
In 2024, Achille Mbembe received the Holberg Prize. This is a very important award for people who do great work in arts, humanities, law, and theology.
Where Mbembe Works Now
Achille Mbembe is currently a staff member at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER). This institute is part of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He also visits Duke University in the United States every year to teach. He helps edit a scholarly journal called Public Culture.
Mbembe's Main Ideas
Mbembe's main research areas are African history, postcolonial studies, and African politics. Postcolonial studies look at the effects of colonialism.
Understanding the "Postcolony"
His central book, On the Postcolony, talks about how people often have wrong ideas about Africa. He says these ideas come from Western (European and American) thoughts and fears. Mbembe believes that Africa is not a separate place. Instead, it has a complex relationship with the rest of the world.
The Idea of Necropolitics
Mbembe also developed a concept called necropolitics. This idea looks at how power can decide who lives and who dies. It's about how some groups or people can be put in situations where their lives are not valued. This can happen in places where there is a lot of conflict or control.
He has also studied the city of Johannesburg and the ideas of another important thinker, Frantz Fanon.
Awards
- 2015 Geschwister-Scholl-Preis for his book Critique de la raison nègre
- 2018 Gerda Henkel Prize
- 2024 Holberg Prize
- 2025 Spinozalens 2025
Private life
Mbembe is married to Sarah Nuttall. She is also a professor and works at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. They have written some texts together and have two children.
See also
In Spanish: Achille Mbembe para niños
