Wale Adebanwi a Nigerian scholar and poet has been
appointed to the
prestigious Rhodes Professorship in Race Relations in the
School of
Interdisciplinary Area Studies at the University of Oxford,
United
Kingdom.
The 47-year-old is therefore the first black African scholar to
be appointed
to the prestigious position since it was created more than 60
years ago. Before Adebanwi, there had been professors like:
Professor Kenneth
Kirkwood, who occupied the chair for 32 years, Professor
Terence Ranger,
and Professor William Beinart, who retired from the position
in 2015.
Before his appointment he was a professor at the University
of California,
Davis, United States, and he is also set to be a Fellow of St
Anthony’s
College, Oxford, from July 1, 2017.
The Rhodes Professorship in race relations is named for
Cecil Rhodes a
British businessman, mining tycoon and politician in South
Africa who
served as Prime Minister of Cape Colony from
1890-1896.When he received the appointment, the body said
of him: “He is a scholar
of international distinction with an outstanding record of
research
publications. Read news In full: www.naijaschooling.com.ng/2017/01/11/nigerian-scholar-made-history-first-black-african-rhodes-professor-oxford-university/