Ngugi wa Thiongo

Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedoms

Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedoms

Ngugi wa Thiongo is a giant in the decolonization community, in 1986 he wrote Decolonizing the Mind, he also wrote Theory and the Politics of Knowing, Secure the Base, Something Torn and New, amongst many others (including a list of fiction works). This post shares some notes from his 1993 book Moving the Centre: The […]

Tags: #Cultural Freedom #decolonization #Language #Moving the Centre #Ngugi wa Thiongo

Thought Provokers
Secure the Base

Secure the Base

Secure the Base (2016) is a collection of speeches that Ngugi wa Thiong’o gave. His other works include Decolonizing the Mind (1986), An African Renaissance (2009) and Theory and Politics of Knowing (2012), amongst many others. A few quotes: “It is fair to say that ‘tribe’, ‘tribalism’ and ‘tribal wars’, the terms so often used […]

Tags: #decolonization #Education #Ngugi wa Thiongo #Tribalism #Tribe

External Articles
An African Renaissance: Ngugi wa Thiong’o

An African Renaissance: Ngugi wa Thiong’o

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is one of the most important voices on language and decolonization. His works include Decolonizing the Mind (1986) and Theory and Politics of Knowing (2012). This post shares some notes on his 2009 Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance (copy appears available here). “colonialists did not literally cut off the heads […]

Tags: #decolonization #decolonize #Language #Ngugi wa Thiongo #postcolonial

Thought Provokers
Theory and the Politics of Knowing

Theory and the Politics of Knowing

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is one of the most influential and read postcolonial literary critics. His Decolonizing the Mind (1986) is essential reading. He has also penned many works of fiction and theatre, as well as other non-fiction works. The following are some notes from his 2012 Globalectics: Theory and the Politics of Knowing (which is […]

Tags: #Alienation #Globalectics #Ngugi wa Thiongo #Poor Theory #Recentering knowledge

Thought Provokers
Decolonizing the Mind

Decolonizing the Mind

Linda Tuhiwai Smith wrote “Decolonizing methodologies” (1999). Ngugi wa Thiong’o wrote “Decolonizing the Mind” (1986). This is essential reading and the insights are numerous – from curricula design and literary critique to social transformation and liberation. In this post I focus on one of Ngugi’s central and influential arguments about the power of language. The […]

Tags: #decolonization #Decolonizing the Mind #Language #Ngugi wa Thiongo #Power

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