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In this groundbreaking collection, leading historians, Africanists, and other scholars document the life and work of twelve Igbo intellectuals who, educated within European traditions, came to terms with the dominance of European thought while making significant contributions to African intellectual traditions.

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1. Olaudah Equiano and the Foundation of Igbo Intellectual Tradition; Gloria Chuku 2. Nnamdi Azikiwe: The Triumph of Knowledge; John Oriji 3. Mbonu Ojike: An African Nationalist and Pan-Africanist; Gloria Chuku 4. Bishop Anthony Nwedo of Umuahia: Faith, Vision and Mission; Jude C. Aguwa 5. Kenneth Onwuka Dike: Father of Modern African Historiography; Gloria Chuku 6. Adiele Afigbo and the Development of Igbo and Nigerian Historical Studies; Gloria Chuku 7. Pius Nwabufo Okigbo: A Pragmatic Economist and an Intellectual Giant; Gloria Chuku 8. Ben O. Nwabueze and African Intellectual Tradition; Philip C. Aka 9. Chinua Achebe and the Development of Igbo/African Studies; Raphael Chijioke Njoku 10. Nwanyibuife Flora Nwapa, Igbo Culture and Women´s Studies; Gloria Chuku 11. Helen Chukwuma: The Inimitable Advocate for African Women´s Empowerment; Christine Ohale

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´This collection of biographical studies highlights the monumental contributions made by Igbo individuals to Nigerian and African politics, literature, history, and society. While the figures are fascinating on their own, they also point collectively to an intellectual tradition concerned with relating the local to wider currents and developments a process as relevant today as it was a century ago.´ - Lisa A. Lindsay, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA

´This collection of essays, edited by the well-known scholar of the empowerment of African women, Professor Gloria Chuku, consists of eleven biographies of well-known Igbos from Nigeria. It includes the intellectual contributions of Oluadah Equiano, the politicians Nnamdi Azikiwe and Mbonu Ojike, the historians Kenneth Onwuka Dike and Adiele Afigbo, the novelists Chinua Achebe and Flora Nwapa, and the economist Pius Okigbo, among others. In each case we are shown how they dealt with problems from the pressures of colonialism and western culture in regards to their Igbo and Nigerian backgrounds. The collection reveals the presence of a younger generation of very bright Igbo scholars who authored the chapters, indicating that a strong Igbo intellectual tradition continues in their writing. This is a very useful pulling together of major historical figures in Igbo discourse, allowing for contrasts and comparisons of their lives, and showing that the Igbo contribution to African development has been considerable.´ - Simon Ottenberg, Emeritus Professor, University of Washington, USA

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Jude C. Aguwa, Mercy College, USA Philip C. Aka, Chicago State University, USA Gloria Chuku, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA Raphael Chijioke Njoku, University of Louisville, USA Christine Ohale, Chicago State University, USA John Oriji, California Polytechnic State University, USA

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