Africana philosophy has come a long way: from
the era of suspicion and denial regarding its authenticity
as a philosophical project to a universal acceptance
by the philosophical establishment. Not that it
matters what the establishment does or does not
do; only that it is all part of the history of
the Africana philosophy project. It is this history
that is the focus of this seminar.
Africana philosophy is the term that has been
coined to account for the philosophical contributions
of the people of African descent both in the homeland
and the Diaspora. Therefore we will approach the
course from the perspectives of the contributions
on both sides of the Atlantic focusing on Africa,
African-American and Afro-Caribbean contributions
to this common history of philosophical thought
and practice. The questions we will try to address
include but are not limited to the following: what
are the foundations of Africana philosophical thought?
Who are the pioneers of Africana philosophical
thought? What issues motivate Africana philosophical
thought? How are those issues addressed and/or
resolved? What role does the question of race and
identity play in the philosophical practice of
Africana people? How about values? To address these
questions, we will focus attention on the idea
and the precursors of Africana philosophy, pan-Africanism,
philosophy of race, nationalism and the philosophy
of liberation, ethnophilosophy and its critics,
critical cultural philosophy and hermeneutics of
Africana philosophy, African ethical systems, and
Africana Womanist philosophy.
The objective of this seminar is to enable participants
to appreciate the depth of Africana philosophy,
to understand its nuances, and to identify the
challenges that this disciplinary area still face.
At the end of the seminar, students will be able
to identify the different schools of Africana philosophy,
match the names of scholars with the schools they
belong to, identify the problems of each school,
and be able to reconcile the differences.
