Guerrilla Intellectual

As posted by A. Morgan on another forum:

"Black people are here in these [universities] as a part of the development of
black struggle, but only as a concession designed to incorporate us within the
structure. I use the term ‘guerrilla intellectual’ to come to grips with the initial
imbalance of power in the context of academic learning. Going beyond the
symbolism of the building, I’m thinking also of the books, the references, the
theoretical assumptions, and the entire ideological underpinnings of what we
have to learn in every single discipline. Once you understand the power that all
this represents, then you have to recognize that your struggle must be based on
an honest awareness of the initial disparity. And that’s how the guerrilla operates."

- Walter Anthony Rodney (W.A.R.)

"Walter Rodney Speaks: the Making of an African Intellectual". 1990. pp. 111-112

Comments