A Short History of African Philosophy

A Short History of African Philosophy discusses major ideas, figures, and schools of thought in philosophy in the African context. While drawing out critical issues in the formation of African philosophy, Hallen focuses on recent scholarship and relevant debates that have made African philosophy essential to understanding the rich and complex cultural heritage of the continent. Hallen builds on its connections with Western philosophical traditions to explore African contributions to cultural universalism, cultural relativism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and Marxism. He also examines African challenges to Western conceptions of philosophy by taking on such questions as whether philosophy can exist in cultures that are significantly based on oral tradition and what may or may not constitute philosophical texts. Barry Hallen is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Morehouse College. He is author of The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Discourse about Values in Yoruba Culture (Indiana University Press) and coauthor (with J. Olubi Sodipo) of Knowledge, Belief, and Witchcraft: Analytic Experiments in African Philosophy.