Invitation - Critical Decolonialities "(De)colonial dynamics of science-based research at University of Ibadan (Nigeria), 1962-1983" with Dr Oladejo

IFRA-Nigeria and the Institute of African Studies are pleased to invite you to the latest seminar of our "Critical Decolonialities : Afro-global perspectives" series on 25 June. We welcome Dr Mutiat Titilope Oladejo, who will talk to us about "(De)colonial dynamics of science-based research at University of Ibadan (Nigeria), 1962-1983".

Universities in modern Africa evolved in the twentieth century as a colonial invention to fulfil the European civilisational agenda. Scholars have justified the establishment of universities as a project that exudes modernity and produces scientifically valid knowledge for human advancement. However, Africa has its rich human civilization that subsists over time in spite of modern sciences. With colonialism being an episode in African history, the African knowledge heritage suffices and also evolves with modern changes. Therefore, to what extent are Afrocentric considerations factored in the making of impactful scientific research at the University of Ibadan. Invariably, the University is taken as a site of research that exists in the frameworks of colonialism and decoloniality. The dynamics of (de)coloniality is unraveled in scientific-based research from 1962, when the University was relieved of its ‘special relationship’ status with University of London to 1983 when foreign funding interests declined.

A historian and lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Dr Oladejo is the author of Market Women and Politics 1900-1995 and The Women Went Radical: Petition Writing and Colonial State in Southwest Nigeria, 1900-1953. Her research focuses on women encounters of mob justice, and she is a member of the African Studies Association of Africa, the Institute of African Women in Law and the Council for Development of Social Research in Africa. She will be accompanied by Dr Ayo Adeduntan, a researcher in cultural and performance studies from the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan.

Practical information

Date & time: Wednesday 25 June, 2025 at 2pm (WAT time)

Location: Draper's Hall, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan & Online

Registration (deadline 23/06): https://forms.gle/AUV3YSjrFx4ct9J99

Tags: Ibadan