Africana philosophy
Encyclopedia
Africana philosophy is an emerging term in the field of philosophy
representing the works of professional philosophers who are of African descent as well as others whose works deal with the subject matter of the African diaspora
.
and the modern day debates discussing the early history of Western philosophy
, post-colonial writing in Africa and the Americas, black resistance to oppression, philosophy of existence
in the United States, and the meaning of "blackness" in the modern world.
Lucius Outlaw writes
Africana philosophy is currently being explored by professional philosophers in the areas of ethics
, social philosophy
, political philosophy
, philosophy of biology
, semantics
, critical race theory
and postcolonialism
. The American Philosophical Association
has 10,000 members in North America. It is estimated that only 100 of its members in North America are of African descent.
Lewis Gordon
writes
, black existentialism
, black liberation theology
and womanism
.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
representing the works of professional philosophers who are of African descent as well as others whose works deal with the subject matter of the African diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
.
What is Africana philosophy?
Africana philosophy is an umbrella term which includes the philosophical ideas, arguments and theories that focus on questions of particular concern to people of African descent. Some of the topics which Africana philosophy explores includes pre-Socratic African philosophyAfrican philosophy
African philosophy is used in different ways by different philosophers. Although African philosophers spend their time doing work in many different areas, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy, a great deal of the literature is taken up with a debate...
and the modern day debates discussing the early history of Western philosophy
Western philosophy
Western philosophy is the philosophical thought and work of the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies and the varieties of indigenous philosophies....
, post-colonial writing in Africa and the Americas, black resistance to oppression, philosophy of existence
Philosophy of Existence
Philosophy of Existence is a book by German psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers. It is both a discussion on the history of philosophy and an exposition of Jaspers' own philosophical system, which is often viewed as a form of existentialism...
in the United States, and the meaning of "blackness" in the modern world.
Lucius Outlaw writes
Africana philosophy is currently being explored by professional philosophers in the areas of ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, social philosophy
Social philosophy
Social philosophy is the philosophical study of questions about social behavior . Social philosophy addresses a wide range of subjects, from individual meanings to legitimacy of laws, from the social contract to criteria for revolution, from the functions of everyday actions to the effects of...
, political philosophy
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
, philosophy of biology
Philosophy of biology
The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences...
, semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
, critical race theory
Critical race theory
Critical Race Theory is an academic discipline focused upon the intersection of race, law and power.Although no set of canonical doctrines or methodologies defines CRT, the movement is loosely unified by two common areas of inquiry...
and postcolonialism
Postcolonialism
Post-colonialism is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy of colonialism...
. The American Philosophical Association
American Philosophical Association
The American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work...
has 10,000 members in North America. It is estimated that only 100 of its members in North America are of African descent.
Lewis Gordon
Lewis Gordon
Lewis Ricardo Gordon is an American philosopher who works in the areas of Africana philosophy, philosophy of human and life sciences, phenomenology, philosophy of existence, social and political theory, postcolonial thought, theories of race and racism, philosophies of liberation, aesthetics,...
writes
Branches of Africana philosophy
Branches include African philosophyAfrican philosophy
African philosophy is used in different ways by different philosophers. Although African philosophers spend their time doing work in many different areas, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy, a great deal of the literature is taken up with a debate...
, black existentialism
Black existentialism
Black existentialism or Africana critical theory is a school of thought that "critiques domination and affirms the empowerment of Black people in the world". Although it shares a word with existentialism and that philosophy's concerns with existence and meaning in life, it "is predicated on the...
, black liberation theology
Black liberation theology
Black liberation theology, sometimes shortened to black theology, is a relatively new theological perspective found in some Christian churches in the United States. It maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage — political, social, economic, and religious...
and womanism
Womanism
The word womanism was adapted from Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker's use of the term in her book In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose...
.
List of Africana philosophers
- Linda Martin AlcoffLinda Martín AlcoffLinda Martín Alcoff is a philosopher at the City University of New York who specializes in epistemology, feminism, race theory and existentialism. She is currently the vice president of the APA, Eastern Division. She earned her PhD in Philosophy from Brown University...
- Anita L. AllenAnita L. AllenAnita LaFrance Allen is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is also a senior fellow in the bioethics department of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a collaborating faculty member in African studies,...
- Anton Wilhelm AmoAnton Wilhelm AmoAnton Wilhelm Amo or Anthony William Amo was born in what is now Ghana, taken to Europe, and became a respected philosopher and teacher at the universities of Halle and Jena in Germany. He was the first African known to have attended a European university.-Early life and education:Amo was a Nzema...
- Kwame Anthony AppiahKwame Anthony AppiahKwame Anthony Appiah is a Ghanaian-British-American philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist whose interests include political and moral theory, the philosophy of language and mind, and African intellectual history. Kwame Anthony Appiah grew up in Ghana and earned a Ph.D. at Cambridge...
- Robert BernasconiRobert BernasconiRobert L. Bernasconi is the Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor of Philosophy at the University of Memphis. He is well known as a reader of Martin Heidegger and Emmanuel Levinas, and for his work on the concept of race...
- Steven Biko
- Anna Julia Cooper
- Angela Y. Davis
- Martin DelanyMartin DelanyMartin Robinson Delany was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, physician, and writer, arguably the first proponent of American black nationalism. He was one of the first three blacks admitted to Harvard Medical School. He became the first African-American field officer in the United...
- Frederick DouglassFrederick DouglassFrederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
- W. E. B. Du Bois
- Frantz FanonFrantz FanonFrantz Fanon was a Martiniquo-Algerian psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary and writer whose work is influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and Marxism...
- Antenor FirminAnténor FirminJoseph Auguste Anténor Firmin , better known as simply Anténor Firmin, was a Haitian anthropologist, journalist, and politician. Firmin is best known for his book De l'Égalité des Races Humaines , which was published as a rebuttal to French writer Count Arthur de Gobineau's work Essai sur...
- Nigel GibsonNigel GibsonNigel Gibson is an activist, a scholar specializing in philosophy and a noted author. He was born in London and was an active militant in the 1984 -1985 Miners' Strike. While in London he also met South African exiles from the Black Consciousness Movement and, in conversation with the exiles,...
- David Theo GoldbergDavid Theo GoldbergDavid Theo Goldberg, PhD was born and raised in South Africa, where he later received degrees in philosophy and economics from the University of Cape Town. He also holds a PhD in philosophy from City University of New York...
- Lewis GordonLewis GordonLewis Ricardo Gordon is an American philosopher who works in the areas of Africana philosophy, philosophy of human and life sciences, phenomenology, philosophy of existence, social and political theory, postcolonial thought, theories of race and racism, philosophies of liberation, aesthetics,...
- Kwame GyekyeKwame GyekyeKwame Gyekye is a Ghanaian philosopher, and an important figure in the development of modern African philosophy.Gyekye studied first at the University of Ghana, then at Harvard University, where he obtained his Ph.D. with a thesis on Græco–Arabic philosophy...
- Leonard HarrisLeonard Harris (Philosopher)Leonard Harris is a professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He also serves as director of the Philosophy and Literature Ph.D. program at the university....
- Paulin Hountondji
- C.L.R. James
- Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
- Alain Locke
- John H. McClendonJohn H. McClendonJohn H. McClendon is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Kansas and has taught at The State University of New York at Binghamton, Eastern Illinois University, University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana,...
- Charles Mills
- V.Y. Mudimbe
- Tommie ShelbyTommie ShelbyTommie Shelby is a philosopher and writer. Shelby is currently Professor of African and African American Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. He is the second black scholar to be tenured in the Philosophy Department at Harvard...
- Kwasi WireduKwasi WireduKwasi Wiredu is one of the foremost African philosophers working today.Wiredu was born in Kumasi, Ghana in 1931, and attended Adisadel College from 1948 to 1952. It was during this period that he discovered philosophy, through Plato and Bertrand Russell, and he gained a place at the University...
- Cornel WestCornel WestCornel Ronald West is an American philosopher, author, critic, actor, civil rights activist and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America....
- Michele Moody-AdamsMichele Moody-AdamsMichele Moody-Adams is an African American philosopher and academic administrator. Until recently, she was vice provost for undergraduate education at Cornell University and Hutchinson Professor of Ethics and Public Life. On July 1, 2009, she became the Dean of Columbia College and Vice President...
- Adrian PiperAdrian PiperAdrian Margaret Smith Piper is a first-generation conceptual artist and analytic philosopher who was born in New York City and lived for many years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts before emigrating from the United States...
- Kenneth Allen TaylorKenneth Allen TaylorKenneth Allen Taylor is an American philosopher. He was the chair of the department of philosophy at Stanford University from 2001 to 2009. Professor Taylor specializes in philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. His interests include semantics, reference, naturalism, and relativism...
- Laurence ThomasLaurence ThomasLaurence Thomas is Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Syracuse University. Thomas is noted for his work on moral theory, on social philosophy and on American Blacks and Jews....
- Emmanuel Chukwudi EzeEmmanuel Chukwudi EzeEmmanuel Chukwudi Eze was a Nigerian-born American philosopher. Eze was a specialist in postcolonial philosophy. He wrote as well as edited influential postcolonial histories of philosophy in Africa, Europe, and the Americas...
- William FontaineWilliam FontaineWilliam Thomas Valerio Fontaine was an American philosopher. Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania from 1947 to 1967, he was an American Professor of philosophy in the Ivy League.- Early life and career :Fontaine was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, an industrial town southwest of Philadelphia...
See also
- African philosophyAfrican philosophyAfrican philosophy is used in different ways by different philosophers. Although African philosophers spend their time doing work in many different areas, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy, a great deal of the literature is taken up with a debate...
- Philosophia AfricanaPhilosophia AfricanaPhilosophia Africana is a peer-reviewed academic journal of Africana philosophy established in 1998. It was published at Depaul University under the editorship of Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze until 2007. The journal is currently edited by K. Kalumba . The journal won the first prize in the 2002 Council of...
- Double consciousnessDouble consciousnessDouble consciousness, in its contemporary sense, is a term coined by W. E. B. Du Bois. The term is used to describe an individual whose identity is divided into several facets...
- Black existentialismBlack existentialismBlack existentialism or Africana critical theory is a school of thought that "critiques domination and affirms the empowerment of Black people in the world". Although it shares a word with existentialism and that philosophy's concerns with existence and meaning in life, it "is predicated on the...
- PostcolonialismPostcolonialismPost-colonialism is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy of colonialism...
- Black liberation theologyBlack liberation theologyBlack liberation theology, sometimes shortened to black theology, is a relatively new theological perspective found in some Christian churches in the United States. It maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage — political, social, economic, and religious...
- Critical race theoryCritical race theoryCritical Race Theory is an academic discipline focused upon the intersection of race, law and power.Although no set of canonical doctrines or methodologies defines CRT, the movement is loosely unified by two common areas of inquiry...
Further reading
- An Introduction to Africana Philosophy by Lewis Gordon
- Philosophy Born of Struggle by Leonard Harris
- Race and Racism in Continental Philosophy by Robert Bernasconi
- A Companion to African-American philosophy by Tommy L. Lott and John Pittman
- African-American Perspectives and Philosophical Traditions by John P. Pittman
- Blacks and Social Justice by Bernard R. Boxill
- African American Philosophers by George Yancy