I have been reading three books recently, all of which have reminded me of something I knew perfectly well, but like so many others, had actually forgotten. Alongside the independence movement across Africa there was a flourishing of confident African writing, both literature and scholarship that began to have a significant impact well beyond AfricaContinue reading “Reflection on Some Waves of African Scholarship”
Category Archives: Society
Walking Across London
There is something wonderful about walking through a city. Don’t get me wrong, I love walking, full stop, rural or urban. However, there is something about walking in a city that is unique. There is also something extra special about walking in London, I am not sure what it is, but the intellectual heritage ofContinue reading “Walking Across London”
The Future of Queer
Tasmin Spargo wrote a wonderful little book, back in 1999 tracing the relationship between Michel Foucault’s work and what was then current queer theory. It is an excellent analysis, tracing the positive and negative aspects of Foucault’s work on queer theorists writing at the end of the last century. That, however, was over twenty yearsContinue reading “The Future of Queer”
Histories and Futures: A Reflection on the Generations
A new year, a new future. One of the things that struck me most forcefully in 2022 was the thought of my father’s age. On March 7th, 2022, he would have been 95. That is terrifying in so many ways. My father was the youngest of six children, the only boy after five daughters. HisContinue reading “Histories and Futures: A Reflection on the Generations”
Martin Stringer Quartet 