Claude E. Ake: The making of an organic intellectual

Claude E. Ake, radical African political
philosopher of the first four decades of the postcolonial era, stands
out as a progressive social force whose writings continue to have appeal
and relevance long after his untimely death in 1996. In examining Ake’s
intellectual works, Jeremiah O. Arowosegbe sets out the framework of
his theoretical orientations in the context of his life, and reveals him
as one of the most fertile and influential voices within the social
sciences community in Africa.

In tracing the genesis and
development of Ake’s political thought, Arowosegbe draws attention to
Ake’s compelling account of the material implications and political
costs of European colonisation of Africa and his conception of a
different future for the continent. Approaching his subject from a
Gramscian and Marxist perspective, Arowosegbe elucidates how Ake’s
philosophy demonstrates the intimate entanglement of class and social,
cultural and historical issues, and how, as a contributor to endogenous
knowledge production and postcolonial studies on Africa, Ake is firmly
rooted in a South-driven critique of Western historicism.

It is
Arowosegbe’s conviction that engaged scholars are uniquely important in
challenging existing hierarchies, oppressive institutions, and truth
regimes – and the structures of power that produce and support them; and
much can be drawn from their contributions and failings alike. This
work contributes to a hitherto neglected focus area: the impact across
the continent of the ideas and lives of African and other global South
academics, intellectuals and scholar-activists. Among them, Ake is
representative of bold scholarly initiatives in asserting the identities
of African and other non-Western cultures through a mindful rewriting
of the intellectual and nationalist histories of these societies on
their own terms. In foregrounding the contribution of Ake with respect
to both autochthonous traditional insights and endogenous knowledge
production on the continent, Arowosegbe aims at fostering the
continuance of a living and potent tradition of critique and resistance.

Engaging
with the lingering impact of colonialism on previously colonised
societies, this timely book will be of immense value to scholars and
students of philosophy and political science as well as African
intellectual history, African studies, postcolonial studies and
subaltern studies.