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Beyond the PhD: Kenneth Mwenda’s Intellectual Journey from Africa to the Global Stage
09/07/25, 11:00
In Beyond the PhD, Professor Kenneth Mwenda reflects on a life of learning across continents — from African classrooms to Ivy League halls — and explores what it means to think, write and teach with integrity in a divided world.
- Beyond the PhD is a deeply personal yet rigorously intellectual meditation by Professor Kenneth Mwenda, one of Africa’s most distinguished legal scholars. In this first volume, Mwenda charts his journey from a childhood steeped in traditional values to a life of academic and diplomatic service that spans some of the world’s most prestigious institutions.
Part memoir, part intellectual manifesto, the book is a wide-ranging reflection on knowledge, cultural identity, education systems, and the pursuit of truth. Mwenda writes candidly about growing up in Zambia, earning multiple doctoral degrees, and navigating the politics and expectations of global academia — all while remaining rooted in African epistemologies.
Whether discussing legal reform, academic integrity, or the pressures of scholarship in the post-colonial world, Mwenda’s voice is clear, thoughtful and passionately committed to justice and ethical leadership. He challenges elitism, celebrates pluralism, and opens windows into the often-unseen emotional life of a scholar.
Beyond the PhD is more than an academic autobiography — it’s a bold call to reimagine education, credibility, and success through a decolonised, human-centred lens. Essential reading for anyone interested in global education, African scholarship, or the moral purpose of intellectual life.
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