African Philosophy in History, Context, and Contemporary Times

Abstract

The history of African philosophy is a rich and long one and the debate that began in the 1970s about its nature and existence is one that puts into perspective the different ways of thinking about this history. In thinking about the history of African philosophy there are a number of questions that need reflecting on and attending to. These questions, I believe, have not been given sufficient attention to by scholars working in African philosophy. This includes the question as to who counts as an African philosopher and the question as to whether one has an obligation to work in African philosophy just because one is an African. I discuss these questions in this chapter as part of my aim of contextualizing African philosophy in terms of its history and as it applies to contemporary times.