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S.E.K. Mqhayi and African social analysis: African sociological thought in colonial South Africa

Schoots, Jonathan LU (2020) In Social Dynamics 46(3). p.493-514
Abstract
African intellectual traditions have much to offer social analysis, yet many historical African intellectuals remain obscured by history and peripheral to contemporary academic work. This paper turns to the writings of the prolific amaXhosa intellectual S.E.K. Mqhayi, exploring his social and political thought, and considering how his work can be taken as part of an African sociological tradition. Focusing on Mqhayi’s use of history and biography as both the method and site of social analysis, the paper shows how Mqhayi developed a powerful vantage point on social transformations in order to create knowledge for African people under colonialism. The piece closes with a consideration of how Mqhayi and other African intellectuals writing... (More)
African intellectual traditions have much to offer social analysis, yet many historical African intellectuals remain obscured by history and peripheral to contemporary academic work. This paper turns to the writings of the prolific amaXhosa intellectual S.E.K. Mqhayi, exploring his social and political thought, and considering how his work can be taken as part of an African sociological tradition. Focusing on Mqhayi’s use of history and biography as both the method and site of social analysis, the paper shows how Mqhayi developed a powerful vantage point on social transformations in order to create knowledge for African people under colonialism. The piece closes with a consideration of how Mqhayi and other African intellectuals writing outside of the academy might be integrated into teaching and researching an African sociological tradition. (Less)
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author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
African sociology, Africa intellectuals, S.E.K. Mqhayi, Social thought, Colonialism
in
Social Dynamics
volume
46
issue
3
pages
493 - 514
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85098595441
ISSN
1940-7874
DOI
10.1080/02533952.2020.1861758
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
8d3bafd9-7aef-4f09-8bb6-19078126cf6d
date added to LUP
2024-10-14 10:43:59
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:52:47
@article{8d3bafd9-7aef-4f09-8bb6-19078126cf6d,
  abstract     = {{African intellectual traditions have much to offer social analysis, yet many historical African intellectuals remain obscured by history and peripheral to contemporary academic work. This paper turns to the writings of the prolific amaXhosa intellectual S.E.K. Mqhayi, exploring his social and political thought, and considering how his work can be taken as part of an African sociological tradition. Focusing on Mqhayi’s use of history and biography as both the method and site of social analysis, the paper shows how Mqhayi developed a powerful vantage point on social transformations in order to create knowledge for African people under colonialism. The piece closes with a consideration of how Mqhayi and other African intellectuals writing outside of the academy might be integrated into teaching and researching an African sociological tradition.}},
  author       = {{Schoots, Jonathan}},
  issn         = {{1940-7874}},
  keywords     = {{African sociology; Africa intellectuals; S.E.K. Mqhayi; Social thought; Colonialism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{493--514}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Social Dynamics}},
  title        = {{S.E.K. Mqhayi and African social analysis: African sociological thought in colonial South Africa}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02533952.2020.1861758}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/02533952.2020.1861758}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}