0494190 - FLÚ 2019 RIV GB eng B - Monography
Kasanda, Albert
Contemporary African Social and Political Philosophy: Trends, Debates and Challenges.
London: Routledge, 2018. 174 s. ISBN 978-0-8153-8165-5; ISBN 978-0-8153-8166-2
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : Africa * social philosophy * political philosophy
OECD category: Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

The book explores what constitutes contemporary African social and political philosophy with regard to its meaning, aims, sources, and relevance for today’s Africa in the global interactions. Kasanda defines contemporary African social and political philosophy in an innovative way as an inclusive reflection of African communities with regard to power and equitable modes of social and political organization. The book offers new interpretations of debates concerning topics such as ethnophilosophy, negritude, pan-Africanism, democracy, African civil society, African cultures, and globalization. For the book author, African philosophy goes beyond existing literature produced by African political leaders and scholars to include African people’s concern for their everyday life and governance. This philosophy deals also with theoretical issues such as political epistemology, the analysis of philosophical concepts used in the African political arena, theories related to power, human rights and social contract. In sum, African social and political philosophy covers both the fundamental trends defining philosophy as theoria and praxis. Standing on a variety of sources – also such as literature, arts, music and religion, to quote but a few – contemporary African social and political philosophy deals with issues of democracy in a continent where, in name of African traditions, many leaders cling indefinitely to power in defiance of principles regarding human rights and people’s participation into power. In the same way of thinking, this book also explores cultural challenges generated by the current globalization process as well as it analyzes the new political consciousness of African people manifested through the awakening of civil society. Taking into consideration new geostrategic configurations subsequent to the collapse of the communist system and the progress achieved in the field of social and political sciences, this book denounces the temptation of ossification of paradigms such as Pan-Africanism and Negritude, and subsequently it calls for their critical renewal. This book concludes by examining Mandela’s political thought in the framework of the struggle for democracy and black people’s recognition.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0289810