Achille Mbembe is a key thinker in contemporary African philosophy who has been influential in literary and cultural theory African literature and postcolonial studies. Oliver Coates introduces key concepts within Mbembe’s thought in relation to African history literature and philosophy. This accessible guide: Considers examples from African literature in Arabic English French and Yoruba and shows the relevance of Mbembe’s thought beyond Anglophone writing; Explores how Mbembe’s work relates to contemporary global events and charts Mbembe’s intellectual development between Cameroon France and the USA; Discusses core concepts from across Mbembe’s career including the positioning of Africa within Western and Afrodiasporic thought the colony postcolony necropolitics decolonization Afropolitanism technology and the environment; Reveals Mbembe’s engagement with key global events including the #Rhodes Must Fall and #Black Lives Matter movements and the call for the restitution of African objects in Western museums. Offering a clear and accessible route into what can be a complex area this book shows the significance of Mbembe’s thought across literature history postcolonial studies gender studies and critical theory.|Achille Mbembe | Literature