Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the impact of the neglect of African historical and modern philosophical thought on the academic self understanding of philosophy and African Studies in Europe - and shows examples of fruitful debates in modern African philosophy.

Paper long abstract:

Philosophy in Africa is almost neglected in social sciences in Europe: it is neither recognized in the institutes of Philosophy nor of African Studies as a field of research or teaching. Even though an inter- or cross-cultural philosophical approach in philosophy became a part of academic philosophy during the last 20 years (as reflected in publications, conferences and curricular), African philosophy does not play a specific role in this process of opening. While Asian philosophical traditions and schools or the medieval Arabic philosophy is taught at many universities and colleges, Africa's philosophy traditions and trends are still largely excluded from the curricula in Philosophy, and in African Studies too. The official attitude towards philosophy and philosophers in Africa has not yet changed fundamentally in comparison to the well known Hegelian or Kantian prejudices towards the development of logic and reasoning in Africa.

So what to do with Philosophy in Africa? This paper explores, the impact of the neglect of African historical and modern philosophical thought on the academic self understanding of philosophy in Europe and shows examples of fruitful debates in African philosophy which have the potential to basically enrich the international philosophical discourse (like debates on global justice, identity, wisdom, the contextuality of thought). In doing this, the paper tries to open a way of forming new knowledge - not only about Africa, but about our (European) selves and our scientific self-understanding, which is, certainly, a challenge for philosophy as well as African Studies as academic disciplines!