EST. 2026

The Archive

Philosophy · REF. TA-14037

Personhood and Community in Contemporary Nigerian Political Philosophy

Abstract

This study investigates the subject matter outlined in the title above through a structured research design appropriate to its academic level. Using primary and/or secondary data collection methods, the research examines the underlying variables, tests relevant hypotheses, and presents findings with implications for practice and policy. This is placeholder abstract text generated for catalogue preview purposes; the full document contains a complete, topic-specific abstract, literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion.

Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Chinweizu's Decolonising the African Mind occupies a significant place in the Nigerian literary canon, and continues to attract critical attention for the richness of its language and thematic concerns.

Existing criticism of Decolonising the African Mind tends to focus on its broader thematic concerns, with existentialist thought as a stylistic device in service of personhood and community receiving comparatively less sustained attention.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

While Chinweizu's Decolonising the African Mind is widely studied, there is no settled critical consensus on how its existentialist thought functions specifically in relation to personhood and community. This study undertakes a close textual analysis to address that gap.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

  1. To examine the use of existentialist thought in Chinweizu's Decolonising the African Mind.
  2. To analyze how existentialist thought contributes to the portrayal of personhood and community.
  3. To assess the effectiveness of existentialist thought as a stylistic/thematic tool in the text.
  4. To situate the findings within the broader context of Nigerian literary/linguistic scholarship.

1.4 Research Questions

  1. How is existentialist thought used in Chinweizu's Decolonising the African Mind?
  2. In what ways does existentialist thought contribute to the portrayal of personhood and community?
  3. How effective is existentialist thought as a stylistic/thematic tool in the text?
  4. How does this reading relate to the broader body of Nigerian literary/linguistic scholarship?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to students and teachers of philosophy, offering a close reading of Chinweizu's Decolonising the African Mind that can support classroom discussion and further critical work. It also contributes to the broader body of scholarship on Nigerian literary and linguistic studies.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to a close textual analysis of existentialist thought within Decolonising the African Mind, reflecting a clearly defined scope; it does not extend to a full survey of the author's other works.

Chapters Two through Five, references and appendices are available for a one-time fee of ₦75,000.

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