V. Y. Mudimbe

V. Y. Mudimbe was a Congolese-born philosopher, novelist, poet, and influential scholar of African studies who taught at institutions including Stanford and Duke University. His landmark book, *The Invention of Africa* (1988), challenged the colonial categories through which Africa had been represented in Western knowledge. His broader work connected philosophy, literature, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural criticism, making him a major figure in decolonial thought.