Professor Achille Mbembe

Professor Achille Mbembe’s research focuses on the exploration of the philosophical horizons of decolonisation and a rereading of the political and cultural history of modernity in Africa. Prof Mbembe received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in History from the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon. His PhD, which included two Diplôme d’études approfondies, one in History from the Sorbonne and the other, in Politics, from Sciences Po in Paris, was completed at the Sorbonne. He was a director at Senegal’s Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa and held the position of Visiting Professor at the University of California, Duke, Yale and Harvard universities in the USA. He is currently a Research Professor in History and Politics at Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. Since 2014, he has published 25 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Le Débat, Multitudes, and Radical Philosophy. He has also authored 10 books and three book chapters. His work has been translated into 12 languages. He has received many accolades for his research including two Honorary Doctorates, the Gerda Henkel Award and the Geschwister Scholl-Preis.