V. Y. Mudimbe

V.Y. Mudimbe (born 1941) is a philosopher, professor, and author of books and articles about African culture, poems, and novels. He was born in the Belgian Congo, which became Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a young man, he joined a monastery, but left in order to study the forces that shaped African history. After teaching at Haverford College and Stanford University, he now teaches at Duke University.

Mudimbe focuses most closely on phenomenology, structuralism, mythical narratives, and the practice and use of language. As a professor, he teaches classes on these topics, as well as on ancient Greek cultural geography.

Education

• Junior College Degree, Lovanium University, Leopoldville (Kinshasa), Congo (1962)
• Diploma, Lovanium University, Kinshasa, Congo (1964)
• BA, Lovanium University, Kinshasa (1966)
• Graduate Studies, University of Paris (1968)
• Ph. D. with High Honors, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (1970)

Books

• L'Odeur Du Père (1982)
• The Invention of Africa (1988)
• Parables and Fables (1991)
• The Surreptitious Speech, editor (1992)
• The Rift (1993)
• The Idea of Africa (1994)
• Tales of Faith (1997)
• Nations, Identities, Cultures, editor (1997)
• Diaspora and Immigration, editor (1999)

See also

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

External links

• Duke University Department of Literature - Dr. Mudimbe's faculty page at Duke University
• University of Cambridge - lecture announcement which explains some of Mudimbe's beliefs (especially about the social sciences) and gives some biographical information
• Electronic Review of French and Italian Literary Essays - review of Mudumbe's The Invention of Africa by a Northwestern University professor; touches on his philosophies