About
Achille Mbembe, born in 1957 in Cameroon, is a world-renowned intellectual. With a PhD in history from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, he has taught at several prestigious institutions and leads research at the University of the Witwatersrand. His work on the postcolony, necropolitics, and black reason has profoundly renewed critical thought. Winner of the 2024 Holberg Prize, he is a member of several academies and his books are translated into many languages.
* 1957-07-27
Major works
- On the Postcolony (2000)essay
- Critique de la raison nègre (2013)essay
- Politiques de l'inimitié (2016)essay
- Brutalisme (2020)essay
Key milestones
- 1989Received a PhD in history from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.
- 2000Published 'On the Postcolony', a foundational work on power and subjectivity in postcolonial Africa.
- 2024Received the Holberg Prize, one of the largest international awards in the humanities and social sciences.
Themes
PostcolonialismNecropoliticsRace and racismAnthropoceneDemocracy and violence
Sources: holbergprize.org · nli.org.il · berggruen.org