Ben Nwabueze and African Intellectual Tradition

This chapter assesses the contributions of the distinguished Igbo constitutional scholar, 1 Benjamin Obi Nwabueze, 2 to African intellectual tradition. I show that whereas Nwabueze has, through a lifetime of professional activities, enormously enriched African intellectual heritage, his contributions relative to the Igbo are rather limited—and less consequential. On the surface, this position seems contradictory: how does Nwabueze contribute importantly to African intellectual tradition without benefiting his own people, the Igbo, 3 a numerous and important national group in Africa? My challenge in this chapter is to reconcile this apparent contradiction. I meet this challenge by portraying intellectual tradition pluralistically, and by laying down specific yardsticks tied to Igbo values for assessment of Nwabueze’s contributions to the Igbo. There are three main parts to this chapter. First, I define African intellectual tradition and explain the location of parallel or competing traditions, such as the Igbo experience, within that tradition. Next, I discuss Nwabueze’s biography, and following that, summarize his contributions to African intellectual tradition. Finally, I analyze his contributions or lack thereof vis-à-vis the Igbo. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Biography · Contradiction · Epistemology · Igbo · Linguistics · Political science · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Anthropology · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Gender Studies · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Philosophy

• A History of the Igbo People

  Open Access•Elizabeth Isichei, Elizabeth Allo Isichei•A History of the Igbo People•1976

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