The Social and Political Thoughts of Archie Mafeje, By Bongani Nyoka

This article reviews the book authored by Dr Bongani Nyoka, one of the South African scholars. Dr Nyoka studies the life history/biography, particularly the academic journey, of Archie Mafeje. Mafeje was one of the renowned South African scholars of his time, starting his academic career in the late 1950s. Dr Nyoka clearly stated that Archie Mafeje missed an opportunity to work and contribute to academic scholarship in South Africa. This is because he was in exile for a long time. He resided and worked in some African countries, such as Egypt. In this case, the academic contribution of Mafeje to academia is not well known in South Africa, but in other parts of the world. This is despite his research articles focusing on South Africa. The author further mentions that in South Africa Mafeje's work is like a rumour, while it is appreciated in other places. It is therefore stated by the author that his book is about Archie Mafeje's scholarly work. It is vividly stated by the author that, although there are some scholars who studied Archie Mafeje's work, their writings are not thorough, but inadequate. In addition, there are some misleading and inaccurate studies about the academic work of Mafeje. Furthermore, there are some scholars who are only interested in Mafeje's debates and the idea of Africanity. This is considered a narrow reflection of Mafeje's work. According to the author, these scholars have not thoroughly studied Mafeje's academic work and failed to give him (Mafeje) the respect he deserves in academia. In this regard, the book by Dr Nyoka acknowledges Archie Mafeje's contribution to academia. Therefore, his book studies the academic life of Archie Mafeje and the contribution he made to Africa, particularly South Africa's academia and policy analysis.