Another step forward in academic advancement was recorded at the Kwara State University on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, as an egghead from the Colombia University, United States of America, Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak gave the first in the series of lectures by the College of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences of the university. Prof. Spivak who made history by given the maiden College of Humanities Lecture charged that for humanity to achieve greater development, academics must begin to give more emphasis to the human sciences and review their ways of teaching the social sciences.

In her electrifying presentation tiled ‘Education in the Era of Globalization’ that kept the audience captivated throughout, Spivak argued globalization can only be achieved through change. This change, according to her,must be in the reformation of the mindset and attitude to the ways of doing things,including the ways of teaching the Social Sciences.

The old ways of teaching the social sciences must be reviewed,though not totally discarded in itsentirety, as she maintained ‘we can learn from our old ways to improve the new.’ The university professor emphasized the need for developing countries to accelerate their growth and economic base through globalization, by changing their mindsets through a broad spectrum of ideas present in the human sciences and by shunning corruption and corporate greed.

The human science, she explained, will provide the avenue for humans to become ethical beings. She added that all development models being applied for the improvement of the human condition must be gender sensitive. Aside from delivering the maiden College of Humanities, Management and Social Science lecture series, Spivak noted that her visit to KWASU was also to explore areas of collaboration with institutions in Africa and the southern part of the world.

Prof. Spivak is a world renowned critical theorist. She was born in Calcutta,India, where she received her elementary and secondary school education. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English with first class honours at the University of Calcutta, after which she proceeded to the United States where she completed her master’s degree in English at CornellUniversity the following year. While teaching at IOWA University, she studied with Paul de man for her doctorate degree at Cornell, for which she wrote a dissertation onthe Irish poet, W.B.Yeats.

While thanking Prof. Spivak for her thoughtful and inspiring lecture, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdulrasheed Na’Allah said KWASU is living up to its status as a university fo community development by bringing renowned academics from all parts of the world to share ideas with their local peers and utilize knowledge for the improvement of the society.

While giving his own remarks, the Provost of the College, Professor Abiola Irele said the college was proud to have a great academic like Spivak to deliver its maiden lecture, adding that the college will continue to project the university as an international citadel of learning that will attract scholars from across the world.