African philosophy in the age of neoliberal capitalism

Abstract

African philosophy is an established tradition of philosophy. Though modern African philosophy may lack what Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze notes—with a tinge of regret—as “historical distance,” it has developed full‐fledged discourses and technical reports in various domains present in other known traditions of philosophy, namely, logic, ontology, ethics, epistemology, political thought, and philosophy of education, philosophy of science and mathematics, feminism, and philosophy for children. The recent publication of The Palgrave Handbook of African Philosophy incontrovertibly re‐attests to the status and stature of African philosophy. In 50 essays, the volume edited by Nigerian philosopher Adeshina Afolayan and the accomplished Nigerian historian, Toyin Falola, presents the critical thought of prominent African philosophers about some of the most important issues affecting African peoples. Foregrounding analyses on the seminal contributions of the timely tome, this article assesses the state of the field of African philosophy in the combustible era of neoliberal capitalism. The article discursively presents the critical responses of African philosophers and scholars to the challenges facing Africa and Africans in the age of neoliberal globalisation, pointing out a few important areas not given sufficient, if any, attention in The Handbook.