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 | 26 May 1929 Ikole, Southern Region, British Nigeria (now in Ekiti State, Nigeria) |
| Died | 9 August 2014 (aged 85) Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria |
| 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 Ibadan school, a group of scholars interested in introducing African perspectives to African history and focusing on the internal historical forces that shaped African lives.[1] Ade Ajayi favours the use of historical continuity more often than focusing on events only as powerful agents of change that can move the basic foundations of cultures and mould them into new ones.[2] Instead, he sees many critical events in African life, sometimes as weathering episodes which still leave some parts of the core of Africans intact.[3] He also employs a less passionate style in his works, especially in his early writings, using subtle criticism of controversial issues of the times.[4]