Cultural Modernity in a Colonized World: The Writings of Chief Isaac Oluwole Delano Hardcover by Toyin Falola

This book is about the intellectual life and times of Chief Isaac Oluwole Delano, a cultural icon who significantly shaped Yoruba Studies. It examines the contributions of Chief Delano through a careful interrogation of his many records, letters, documents and over a dozen publications, spanning from 1937 through to 1973. He covered biographies, history and religion, all under the rubric of what may be referred to as Historical-Anthropology. A prominent author, Chief Delano bequeathed several chronicles of events in Nigeria, and accounts depicting the realities of Nigeria’s period of transition into modernity. Aside from being the first Administrative Secretary of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a cultural organization that became a political party in Nigeria, Delano was one of the pioneers of Linguistics Studies in West Africa.

His activities in this respect led to the second phase of his publications and collections, which cover areas of language and language usage in Yoruba. Born in 1904, he worked as a clerk in the colonial government before venturing into writing and later becoming a full academic. His career trajectory ensured a robust relationship with many of the leading intellectual communities of the time, both within and outside Africa. His records and publications offer accounts of how Nigeria got to its current decayed state, and gives critical insights into how it could escape the quagmire. This comprehensive book covers his biography; the fabric, texture, and contents of his work; the philosophy that undergirds his writings; and a robust contextualization of how to understand them as well as an epistemological guidance to their significance.