The meaning of the term ethnophilosophy has evolved in both a significant and controversial variety of ways since it was first introduced by paulin hountondji in. Hountondjis sharp, scathing and uncompromising critique of ethnophilosophy soon earned him the accusations of occidentalism, idealism, elitism, and aristocratism. Pdf the folds in paulin hountondjis african philosophy, myth. Department of philosophy and religious studies, kogi state university anyigba, nigeria. Hountondji attacks a myth popularized by ethnophilosophers such as placide temples and alexis kagame that there is an indigenous, collective african philosophy, separate and distinct from the western philosophical tradition. Hountondji, philosophy can be regarded as the most selfconscious of disciplines. We cannot guarantee that an introduction to african philosophy book is in the library, but if you are still not. The meaning and nature of african philosophy in a globalising world international journal of humanities social sciences and education ijhsse page 88 philosophy would be nothing more than asking and offering rational explanations of the universe. Although it had been used previously by other writers, the term ethnophilosophy acquired its notoriety in the work of the beninois philosopher paulin hountondji 1970, 1983. Ethnophilosophy, unanimity and african critical thought. Paulin hountondji born 11 april 1942 in abidjan, cote divoire is a beninese philosopher, politician and academic. Those who downloaded this book also downloaded the following books. The text takes into account, in the form of quotations or referencing, the views of several other philosophers who have had something to say about african philosophy. Ethnophilosophys most immediate african antecedents include leopold senghors philosophy of negritude and the writings of the belgian missionary to the congo later zaire, placide tempels.
National university of benin african centre for advanced. The struggle for meaning is a landmark publication by one of african philosophys leading figures, paulin j. After a relatively short introduction and before a brief conclusion, the book is divided into four quite distinct chapters. Ethnophilosophy examines the systems of thought of existing and precolonial african communities in order to determine what can be the ideal forms of. It studied the nature of philosophy, the meaning of african philosophy, the factors that stimulated the debate on african philosophy, the universality of. Introduction to hountondji the article printed below is extracted from african philosophy. Critique of ethnophilosophy, the debate with contemporaries and hountondjis turn to endogenous knowledges. The meaning and nature of african philosophy in a globalising. Problems and challenges of conversation method 71 several factors, like personal sensitivity and commitment to certain problems of experience.
His critique of ethnophilosophy as a colonial, exoticising and racialized. This book provides an excellent orientation to, and a logical development of, the major trends and issues that have dominated discussions in african philosophy since the publication of placide tempels bantu philosophy in 1945. It is the one discipline that involves by its very nature a constant process of reflection upon itself. Hountondji national university of benin african centre for advanced studies, benin knowledge of africa. His critique of ethnophilosophy as a colonial, exoticising and. Furthermore, it is the subjectmatter that determines its own methods anyanwu 1989, 5. Abanuka in his book, a history of african philosophy, responds that it is. Paulin hountondji, african philosophy, myth and reality 1974. Paulin hountondji and philosophys career as a strict.
In order to read online or download an introduction to african philosophy ebooks in pdf, epub, tuebl and mobi format, you need to create a free account. Paulin hountondji is a beninese philosopher, politician and academic. On african philosophy paulin hountondji there are two ways of losing oneself. Dec 22, 2018 those who downloaded this book also downloaded the following books. His critique of ethnophilosophy as a colonial, exoticising and racialized undertaking provoked contentious debates among african intellectuals on the proper methods and scope of philosophy and science in an african and global context since the 1970s. African sage philosophy stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. A companion to african philosophy edited by kwasi wiredu.
Since the 1970s he has taught at the universite nationale du benin in cotonou, where he is professor of philosophy. In this volume, he responds with autobiographical and philosophical reflection to the dialogue and controversy he has provoked. Hountondji uses in his critique of ethnophilosophy, a word meant to. By african philosophy i mean a set of texts, specifically, the set of texts written by africans and described as.
Myth and reality, by paulin hountondji, which was published by hutchinson in june 1983. This is a masterful study of african philosophy and ethnophilosophy. Hountondji attacks a myth popularized by ethnophilosophers such as placide tempels and alexis kagame that there is an indigenous, collective african philosophy separate and. What is even more important, however, is the criticism that ethnophilosophy is oppositional without being. His critics in turn shot back that hountondji was a western stooge, even a trojan horse for a second, postcolonial mission civilisatrice in the african continent. Translated by henri evans with the collaboration of jonathan ree. Hountondji charged that ethnophilosophy reiterated eurocentric caricatures of africans as members of a herdlike mob, devoid of the capacity to think as independent individuals. In this incisive, original exploration of the nature and future of african philosophy, paulin j. The meaning of the term ethnophilosophy has evolved in both a significant and controversial variety of ways since it was first introduced by paulin hountondji in 1970. Before now, philosophers were engaged with such question as, whether or not there is an african philosophy. The folds in paulin hountondjis african philosophy. Aime cesaire, lettre a maurice thorez 1956 by african philosophy i mean a set of texts, specifically, the set of texts written by africans and described as phil. His main target has been the ethnophilosophy of writers such as placide tempels and. Choice in this incisive, original exploration of the nature and future of african philosophy, paulin j.
Wikimatrix part of the problem stems from the fact that ethnophilosophy is in large part a response to western views of african thought. Rereading of paulin hountondji, african philosophy, myth and reality, thought and practice nairobi, kenya 1. Ayer, the problem of knowledge harmondsworth, middlesex. One wonders why the doubt on the existence of african philosophy. Ethnophilosophy, african routledge encyclopedia of. Views of some of the bestknown african philosophers, such as kwasi wiredu, paulin hountondji, h.
Hountondji is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary african philosophy. This book was first published in french in 1976, and its. Ethnophilosophy, african ethnophilosophy refers to bodies of belief and knowledge that have philosophical. African philosophy, ethnophilosophy, paulin hountondji, bantu philosophy, placide tempels, baraperspectivismo, tragic philosophy. The african intellectual radical philosophy archive, 19722016. Appiah basically agrees with hountondjis stance on ethnophilosophy.
Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Hountondji, the struggle for meaning one of the characteristic features of african philosophy is that it tends to pose epistemological questions in terms that preserve their dialectical entanglement with questions of agency. Every thought, however original it may be, is to some extent shaped by the questions that it is asked. Hountondji attacks a myth popularized by ethnophilosophers such as placide tempels and alexis kagame that there is an indigenous, collective african philosophy separate and distinct from the western philosophical tradition. The african intellectual radical philosophy archive. The structure of the hermeneutics of african philosophy is as follows. Ethnophilosophy is thus a specialized and wholly customs dictated philosophy that requires a communal consensus. Because hountondji took aim so very clearly at ethnophilosophy, not. The term ethnophilosophy was coined by paulin hountondji to refer to the works of those anthropologists, sociologists, ethnographers and philosophers who present collective philosophies of life of african peoples. Clarence shole johnson 1998 southern journal of philosophy 36 2. Hountondji was born in the ivory coast, and received his higher education in paris, where he was a pupil of althusser in the middle 1960 s. Hountondji distinguishes between two schools of thought.
What really matters to anyanwu is the formulation of the problem. With this criticism hountondji started an ongoing debate about the status of african philosophy, the status and value of ethnophilosophy, and the position of placide tempels in african philosophy. This is the basis for the reproach aimed at ethnophilosophy by the african philosophers paulin hontoundji 1983 and kwasi wiredu 1980, that critical discourse cannot exempt one side from the criticism it levels at the other side. Hountondji, best known for his critique of ethnophilosophy in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
This book was first published in french in 1976, and its first english translation was in 1983. Philosophical papers paulin hountondji, african philosophy. Ethnophilosophy, african routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. The episteme of the african intellectual hountondji affirms four main ideas concerning the definition and role of philosophy, all of which are intended to establish the domain in which an african philosophy might be articulated, while excluding ethnophilosophy as an impostor if not as a contradiction in terms. He actually wrote the thesis but could not defend it before leaving in 1945 to britain, where he served as secretary to the. Hountondji contends that ideological manifestations of this view that stress the. The african philosophy reader peace palace library. His critique of ethnophilosophy as a colonial, exoticising and racialized undertaking provoked contentious debates among african intellectuals on the proper methods and scope of philosophy and science in an african and global context. Paulin hountondji, african philosophy, and philosophical. Pdf paulin hountondji, african philosophy, myth and.
Paulin hountondji, africian philosophy, and philosophical methodology. One of the most discussed papers in african philosophy is paulin. In this seminal exploration of the nature and future of african philosophy, paulin j. This is the basis for the reproach aimed at ethnophilosophy by the african philosophers paulin hontoundji 1983 and kwasi wiredu 1980, that critical discourse cannot exempt one side from the. In the early 1990s he briefly served as minister of education and minister for culture and communications in. Odera oruka, as based upon hountondjis unfair appreciation of africas indigenous cultural heritage. It was first challenged by the kenyan philosopher, h. In the early 1990s he briefly served as minister of education and minister for culture and communications in the government of benin. Introduction the past three or more decades have witnessed a deluge of works on the twin quest to know whether african philosophy exists and what its nature consists of. Comments on contemporary african philosophy paulin j. At the conclusion of a brilliant comparison of ethnophilosophy with ethnoscience, hountondji makes a plea for a reconstituted ethnophilosophy to serve as the common foundation of the ethno.
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