Prof. Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, literatures in English, died on Feb. 11 in Lagos, Nigeria at the age of 80.
Jeyifo taught in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 2006. His research spanned across several disciplines, including African drama and theater, African and Caribbean ‘Anglophone’ literatures, Marxist theory, colonial and postcolonial studies and African and Afro-American critical thought.
Jeyifo’s books, studies and research have gained recognition worldwide. His study of the Yoruba Popular Traveling Theatre in Nigeria “is viewed by many as seminal in the study of African drama,” according to his CAS biography.
His biography also states that he is renowned for his research studying the works of Nobel laureate, writer and playwright Wole Soyinka. Throughout his career, Jeyifo published a series of essays and three books analyzing Soyinka’s works.
“BJ [Jeyifo] was a brilliant scholar and a generous colleague who, more than any other figure in the history of the department, showed what it would mean to take seriously ‘the task of decolonialization,’” said Prof. Emeritus Paul Sawyer, Literatures in English, in an interview with The Cornell Chronicle. “He was a fierce critic of British imperialism who grew up loving English literature; he believed that human progress came about only by embracing complexity and difference.”
After having studied English at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Jeyifo received both a M.A. and Ph.D from New York University.
In addition to teaching at Cornell, Jeyifo served as a professor at the University of Ibadan, the University of Ife in Nigeria, Oberlin College and Harvard University.
Fellow Cornell Prof. Emeritus Satya P. Mohanty, literatures in English, commented on Jeyifo’s impact on him, both through his academics and his character.
“To me, BJ was a rare friend who embodied some of the best old-world values, namely courage, integrity and a fierce commitment to social justice,” Mohanty said in an interview with The Cornell Chronicle. “In these times when ethno-nationalisms of all kinds are becoming the norm, he was a genuine internationalist.”
Jeyifo is survived by his brother Olu and his children, Okunola, Lekan and Ayoka.
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Coral Platt is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at cplatt@cornellsun.com.
