Doing African Philosophy: Beyond Textuality and Individual Authorship

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What defines a philosophical tradition The primacy of the written text and individual authorship are the two major defining and interwoven credentials that have been used to deny African philosophical thought prior to the postcolonial phase.

In this significant contribution to the search for identity and authenticity of African philosophy, Elvis Imafidon questions the relevance of authorship and literacy in the production, storage and transmission of knowledge. Drawing from the rich and robust philosophical heritages of sub-Saharan African traditions, he showcases the many ways philosophy is shared and critiqued.

His focus is on two major repositories of philosophical knowledges: orality and symbolism. Storytelling, adages, names and naming, folklores, proverbs and forms of symbolically encoded knowledges found in artefacts, symbols, textile patterns, motifs and corporeal arts contest dominant narratives. They ask us to rethink the logic of binaries between literacy and illiteracy, text and non-text, and speech and writing.

Paying close attention to the Binis and Esans in Southern Nigeria, the Akans in Ghana, the Shonas in Zimbabwe, and the Zulu people in South Africa, Imafidon affirms the place of symbolic art and different indigenous methods for philosophising. Exploring the concept of street philosophy in Nigeria, we see how oral and symbolic forms of philosophizing persist in modern African societies.

This much-needed book reclaims the voices, agency and narratives of African thinkers across history. It challenges our understanding of the discipline and argues for an inclusive definition of philosophy in our post-human, post-text age.

Author Bio

Elvis Imafidon is Lecturer in African Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Global and Comparative Philosophies in the School of History Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University, UK.