A Short History of African Philosophy [Paperback]

Barry Hallen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

In this accessible book, Barry Hallen discusses the major ideas, figures, and schools of thought in African philosophy. While drawing out critical issues in the formation of African philosophy, Hallen focuses on the recent scholarship, current issues, and relevant debates that have made African philosophy an important key to understanding the rich and complex cultural heritage of Africa. Hallen builds upon Africa's connections with Western philosophical traditions and explores African contributions to cultural universalism, cultural relativism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and Marxism. Hallen also examines African challenges to Western conceptions of philosophy by taking on questions such as whether philosophy can exist in cultures that are significantly based in oral traditions and what may or may not constitute philosophical texts. Among the figures whose work is discussed are Ptah-hotep (Egypt, 3rd millennium BCE), Zar'a Ya'aqob (Abyssinia, 17th century), Anton Wilhelm Amo (Ghana, 18th century), Paulin Hountondji, V. Y. Mudimbe, Oyeronke Oyewumi, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Kwasi Wiredu.This clearly written, highly readable, and concise work will be essential for students and scholars of African philosophy as well as readers with a wide range of interests in African studies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Condensed from a much longer work, this book offers a survey of the many perspectives from which we may construct a knowledge base of African philosophy. While avowedly a short conspectus, the book as a whole is dynamized by a number of recurring debates which make their appearance in most of the chapters, giving the work an internal coherence belying its brevity and simplicity. And it is more than just a history of its subject.; on more than two occasions there is brief, but precise, demonstrational argument." - Leeds African Studies Bulletin, No. 66 2004

About the Author

Barry Hallen is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy and Religion Department at Morehouse College. He is Associate in the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University. 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253215315
• ISBN-13: 978-0253215314
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introductory Text, June 13, 2004

By 

Kenya A. Hudson (Jackson, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Short History of African Philosophy (Paperback)

A Short History of Africa in Philosophy is a good introduction to African philosophy for novices and suitable as a textbook accompaniment to primary sources for courses. The book is organized topically by the major areas of emphasis of philosophers, e.g. rationality as culturally universal, ethnophilosophy and philosophic sagacity, phenomenology and hermeneutics, etc. (These areas also double as chapters.) It does several things well. It is comprehensive surveying nearly every significant contemporary African philosopher. For that comprehensiveness it trades depth covering each philosopher in about 2-3 pages. It provides adequate introductions to technical concepts (e.g. hermeneutics and ordinary language analysis) and Western philosophers (e.g. Quine, Gadamer and Heidegger) needed to understand the approaches of African philosophers. Its last chapter serves as a brief introduction to other histories and anthologies in African philosophy. It also throws in web site addresses (some of which were no longer active when I tried them in June 2004). A more valuable starting point for learning more is its bibliography.

Why did I give this book four stars instead of five? First, I thought the book could have used more depth when summarizing philosophers' views. There are only 104 pages of content covering philosophers' ideas. Even if he added just one more page per thinker, there probably would only be about 135 pages of content. Second, I would have preferred a more chronological approach. It is more difficult to see the relations between the ideas of successive generations (and we are dealing at least with the revolutionary generation and their children) given its current organization. There is also very little historical or situational context (outside of the realm of philosophical ideas) for the philosophers.

Hallen's Short History chronicles well modern African philosophers, their approaches and methods. A better introduction to the substantive content is found in Richard Bell's Understanding African Philosophy. A more detailed history (for those with some familiarity with the field or a second book to read after Hallen's) is D.A. Masolo's African Philosophy in Search of Identity.

Since this book cannot be searched, I have included African philosophers covered below.

Contemporary African Philosophers (in order of appearance): Kwasi Wiredu, Kwame Gyekye, Segun Gbadegesin, J. Olubi Sodipo, Barry Hallen, Godwin Sogolo, M. Akin Makinde, V.Y. Mudimbe, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Paulin Hountondji, H. Odera Oruka, Theophilus Okere, Okonda Okolo, Tsenaym Serequeberhan, Lewis Gordon, Lucius Outlaw, Robert Bernasconi, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Amilcar Cabral, Oladipo Fashina, Olufemi Taiwo, Ernest Wamba-dia-Wamba, Paget Henry, Oyeronke Oyewumi, Ifi Amadiume and Nkiru Nzegwu.

Earlier Thinkers (in order of appearance): Cheik anta Diop, Phah-hotep, Za'ar Ya'aqob, Anton Wilhelm Amo, Placide Tempels, Marcel Griaule, W.E. Abraham, John Mbiti and Robert Horton.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Quick Shipment, August 27, 2011

By 

Aldel Brown - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short History of African Philosophy (Paperback)

I was expecting this book to arrive in the coming week(s). To my surprise, the book arrived a couple days after I order it within the same week. Would gladly do business with again! Thank you!