J. F. Ade Ajayi
J. F. Ade Ajayi | |
---|---|
3rd Vice chancellor of the University of Lagos | |
In office 1972–1978 | |
Preceded by | Saburi Biobaku |
Succeeded by | Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh |
Personal details | |
Born | Ibadan, Oyo State , Nigeria
| 26 May 1929
Known for | Historiography in Africa |
Scientific career | |
Fields | African History |
Institutions | University of Ibadan, University of Lagos |
Jacob Festus Adeniyi Ajayi, commonly known as J. F. Ade Ajayi, (26 May 1929 – 9 August 2014) was a Nigerian historian and a member of the
Biography
Ajayi was born in Ikole-Ekiti on 26 May 1929,
In 1964, he was made Dean of Arts at the University and later promoted a deputy Vice-Chancellor. After his stint as deputy Vice-Chancellor, he was made the Vice-Chancellor of the
In 1993, Ajayi was awarded the "Distinguished Africanist Award" by the African Studies Association.[14] In 1994, he became an Honorary Fellow of SOAS University of London.[15] On 9 August 2014, he died at the age of 85 and was buried in his native Ikole Ekiti.[12][16]
An early writer of African history
As an early writer of Nigerian and African history, though not a pioneer like Kenneth Dike, Ajayi brought considerable respect to the Ibadan School and African research. He is known for the arduous research and rigorous effort he puts into his work. By extensive use of oral sources in some of his works such as pre-twentieth century Yoruba history, he was able to weigh, balance and assay each and all of his sources, uncovering a pathway towards facts in the period which was scarce in written and non-prejudiced forms.[17] Ajayi also tries to be dispassionate in his writings, especially when writing about controversial or passionate subjects in African history. In an article on the history of Yoruba writing, he was able to appraise critically and with resignation, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a hero to Ade Ajayi. His style of rigorous research presented new pathways in African historiography and augmented awareness among scholarly circles outside the continent to African methodologies and perceptions. By weighing sources both written and oral, he was able to find new issues of interest that formed the basis of British colonisation of Lagos, balancing official British documentation of the event with additional material.
Another theme in many of his works is nationalism. Ajayi sees religious currents as setting the foundation for modern Nigerian nationalism. The
Ajayi, however, with gradation has expressed a much more critical stance on the need to embrace Pan-Africanism as the foundation of nationalism.[19]
Works
- Yoruba Warfare in the Nineteenth century. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England 1964.[20]
- Christian Missions in Nigeria, 1841–1891: The Making of a New elite.[21]
- Editor, General History of Africa, vol. VI, UNESCO, 1989.[22]
- Co-Editor, A Thousand Years of West African History.[23]
- Co-Editor with ISBN 0-231-04103-9.[24]
References
- ^ "Ade Ajayi, Jacob". dacb.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ J. I. Dibua The Idol, Its Worshippers, and the Crisis of Relevance of Historical Scholarship in Nigeria, History in Africa, Vol. 24 (1997)
- ^ A Thousand Years of West African History: a Handbook for Teachers and Students By J. F. Ade Ajayi and (First ed.). Ibadan University Press and Nelson. 1965.
- ^ "Portrait of J. F. Ade Ajayi". imsvintagephotos.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Professor J. F. Ade Ajayi is 80[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Google Groups". groups.google.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ A Historian at 75, The News, 10 May 2004
- ^ JF Ade Ajayi obituary in The Guardian, 10 Sep 2014
- ISSN 0001-9720.
- ^ "Prof Ade-Ajayi". UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN. 26 May 1929. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Professor J. F. Ade Ajayi 1929-2014". Businessday NG. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ a b Tayo Popoola. "Ade Ajayi: Architect of modern UNILAG". The Nigerian Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ "J. F. Ade Ajayi - InfoHub". infohub.xyz.ng. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ ""Distinguished Africanist Award 2009" African Studies Association". Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
- ^ "SOAS Honorary Fellows". SOAS. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ^ Ade Ajayi, former UNILAG VC, dies at 85 Archived 3 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robert A. Hess, J. F. Ade Ajayi and the New Historiography in West Africa, African Studies Review > Vol. 14, No. 2, pp 1–4 (Sep. 1971)
- ISSN 0001-9720.
- ^ Times, Premium (26 August 2014). "EDITORIAL: Prof. Ade Ajayi [1926 - 2014]: Passage of an eminent scholar - Premium Times Opinion". Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-521-04012-9.
- ^ "Christian Missions in Nigeria 1841 1891 by Ajayi - AbeBooks". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "General history of Africa, abridged edition, v. 6: Africa in the nineteenth century until the 1880s". unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ISSN 0001-9720.
- ^ "History of West Africa by Ajayi - AbeBooks". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
External links
Media related to J. F. Ade Ajayi at Wikimedia Commons