John Ogbu

John Uzo Ogbu (May 9, 1939 – August 20, 2003) was a Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor known for his theories on observed phenomena involving race and intelligence, especially how race and ethnic differences played out in educational and economic achievement. He suggested that being a "caste-like minority" affects motivation and achievement, depressing IQ scores. He also concluded that some students did poorly because high achievement was considered "acting white" among their peers. Ogbu was also involved in the 1996 controversy surrounding the use of African American Vernacular English in public schools in Oakland, California. The 2000 book Eminent Educators: Studies in Intellectual Influence focused on him as one of "four intellectual giants of the 20th century."

Early life and education

Born in the village of Umudomi, in Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Ogbu attended Hope Waddell Training Institute and Methodist Teachers' Training College where he taught Latin, mathematics, and geography. He enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary with the intention of becoming a minister in Nigeria but soon transferred to the University of California, Berkeley to study anthropology. At Berkley he earned his baccalaureate in 1965, his master's degree in 1969, and his Ph.D. in 1971. He taught at UC Berkeley from 1970 until his death.

Involuntary minorities

Ogbu argues that cultural differences alone cannot account for differences in minority education, since some minority communities do quite well and others do not. In addition, he observes that in some cases groups of people of the same race but located in different countries manifested different ability and/or achievement levels according to some measures.