Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century A history of philosophy without any gaps, Volume 7

by Adamson, Peter; Jeffers, Chike

• ISBN13: 9780198927174
• ISBN10: 0198927177
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780198927198
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-07-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

In this latest instalment of the series A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers delve into the fascinating world of Africana Philosophy.

Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century is the first of two volumes in the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps series to bring readers the story of Africana philosophy. This diverse topic is defined as philosophy emerging from and distinctively related to Africa or the African diaspora. The story starts at the very beginning by asking what it would mean to engage philosophically with evidence left by prehistoric peoples of Africa, and proceeds to discuss the philosophical traditions of ancient Egypt, late ancient and early modern Ethopia, and Islamic philosophy in West Africa. A number of chapters then explore the idea of philosophy in African oral traditions, considering the methodological debates that have raged between African philosophers like John Mbiti, Paulin Hountondji, and Henry Odera Oruka.

Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers also consider philosophical responses to the situation brought about by the transatlantic slave trade and the early colonization of Africa. Starting from early figures like Anton Wilhelm Amo and Phillis Wheatley, and the ideas that drove the Haitian Revolution, extensive discussion is then given to Africana philosophy of the nineteenth century. The incendiary ideas of David Walker, the nuanced rhetoric of Frederick Douglass, and the clashing approaches of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are among the highlights here. Significant attention is given to female thinkers like Maria W. Stewart, Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida B. Wells. The coverage is also geographically diverse, with chapters on figures who worked not only in Africa and the United States, but also Brazil, Canada, Britain, France, and the Caribbean.

Author Biography

Peter Adamson, Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,Chike Jeffers, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Dalhousie University Halifax

Peter Adamson received his BA from Williams College and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. He worked at King's College London from 2000-2012 and retains an affiliation there, but his main position is at the LMU in Munich. He has published widely in ancient and medieval philosophy and is the host of the History of Philosophy podcast.

Chike Jeffers is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Dalhousie University. He specializes in Africana philosophy and philosophy of race, with broad interests in social and political philosophy. Jeffers is co-author of What is Race? Four Philosophical Views (2019), along with Joshua Glasgow, Sally Haslanger, and Quayshawn Spencer.

Table of Contents

PrefaceLocating and Debating Precolonial African Philosophy1. Something Old, Something New: Introducing Africana Philosophy2. It's Only Human: Philosophy in Prehistoric Africa3. Fertile Ground: Philosophy in Ancient Mesopotamia4. Pyramid Schemes: Philosophy in Ancient Egypt5. Father Knows Best: Moral and Political Philosophy in the Instructions6. Heated Exchanges: Philosophy in Egyptian Narratives and Dialogues7. Solomon, Socrates, and Other Sages: Early Ethiopian Philosophy8. One Truth: Zera Yacob9. Think for Yourself: Walda Heywat10. From Here to Timbuktu: Sub-Saharan Islamic Philosophy11. Renewing the Faith: The Sokoto Caliphate12. Heard it Through the Grapevine: Oral Philosophy in Africa13. Event Horizon: African Philosophy of Time14. One to Rule Them All: God in African Philosophy15. Behind the Mask: African Philosophy of the Person16. I Am Because We Are: Communalism in African Ethics and Politics17. The Doctor Will See You Now: Divination, Witchcraft, and Knowledge18. Women Have No Tribe: Gender in African Tradition19. Professionally Speaking: The Reaction Against Ethnophilosophy20. Wise Guys: Sage Philosophy21. Beyond the Reaction: The Continuing Relevance of Precolonial TraditionsSlavery and the Creation of Diasporic Africana Philosophy22. Out of Africa: Slavery and the Diaspora23. Dualist Personality: Anton Wilhelm Amo24. Talking Book: Early Africana Writing in English25. Young, Gifted, and Black: Phillis Wheatley26. New England Patriot: Lemuel Haynes27. Letters from the Heart: Ignatius Sancho and Benjamin Banneker28. Sons of Africa: Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano29. Liberty, Equality, Humanity: The Haitian Revolution30. My Haitian Pen: Baron de Vastey31. American Africans: Early Black Institutions in the US32. Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Colonization Controversy33. Kill or Be Killed: David Walker's Appeal34. Religion and Pure Principles: Maria W. Stewart35. Unnatural Causes: Hosea Easton's Treatise36. Written by Himself: The Life of Frederick Douglass37. Happy Holidays: Two Speeches by Frederick Douglass38. Let Your Motto Be Resistance: Henry Highland Garnet39. Nation Within a Nation: Martin Delany40. I Read Men and Nations: Sojourner Truth and Frances Harper41. Great White North: Emigration to Canada42. Pilgrim's Progress: Alexander Crummell43. Planting the Seeds: James Africanus Beale Horton44. African Personality: Edward Blyden45. Race First, Then Party: T. Thomas Fortune46. A Common Circle: Anténor Firmin47. Frowning at Froudacious Fabrications: J.J. Thomas and F.A. Durham48. Though Late, It Is Liberty: Abolitionism in Brazil49. When and Where I Enter: Anna Julia Cooper50. American Barbarism: Ida B. Wells51. God is a Negro: Henry McNeal Turner52. Separate Fingers, One Hand: Booker T. Washington53. Lifting the Veil: Introducing W.E.B. Du Bois