Bethwell Allan Ogot's contribution to the development of African historiography (1964–2013)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines Professor Bethwell Allan Ogot's contributions to African historiography between 1964 and 2013. It fills a pressing historical gap in African historiography: namely, the scanty attention given to the impact of Ogot, both academically and more broadly in the intellectual life and culture of post-colonial Africa. In the study, the intention is to trace Ogot's career, analyse his contributions to African historiography, and understand how he established African-centred history accounts within Kenya and the rest of the world. This study is grounded in the interpretive research paradigm and employs historical methods of data collection, analysis, and presentation. Primary sources include research materials from the Kenya National Archives, records of institutions, and interviews with scholars and coworkers who knew Ogot well. The secondary data are utilized in scholarly books, articles, and historical records. The study design combines purposive and snowball sampling techniques to target key respondents. The theoretical approach will connect critical policy historiography to development theory, examining the intersection of Ogot's intellectual interventions with national policy in education and historiography. The results indicate that the pro-Africanized historiography advocated by Ogot, his role in university management, or his mentorship were influential concepts that transformed African historical studies. His contributions answered the question of how scholars could support the goals of national development through their scholarly work, which explains why he will continue to be remembered as a scholar and builder of nations. The study concludes with an emphasis on the significance of African intellectuals in the post-colonial transformation of history, highlighting the need to investigate their achievements worldwide in terms of educational and historiographical growth.
Institution: Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7084041100