African Philosophy and the Quest for Autonomy: A Philosophical InvestigationAs academic subject African philosophy is predominantly concerned with epistemology. It aims at re-presenting a lost body of authentic African thought. This apparently austere a-historical concern is framed by a grand narrative of liberation that cannot but politicise the quest for epistemological autonomy. By "politicise" I mean that the desire to re-cover an authentic African epistemology in order to establish African philosophy as autonomous subject, ironically re-iterates Western, enlightenment notions of the autonomous subject. Here, in the pursuit of an autonomous subject the terms of historical oppression are necessarily duplicated in the terms of liberation. In this study I use the term disfigurement to refer to the double-bind - peculiar to post-coloniality - in which the African subject finds itself when it has to establish and affirm a sense of apartheid (in order to confirm the assumption of difference) by inventing its own autonomy in a way that ironically conflicts with an African conception of the autonomous subject. The transcendental concern with epistemological authenticity and autonomy - indicative of an oppressive desire for Western style autonomy - necessary as it may be in a post-colonial context, is placed in an ethical framework that seeks to remain faithful to the African dictum of identity and autonomy "I am because we are". Whereas the first three chapters are concerned with the transcendental question 'what is African philosophy?', the fourth and last chapter situates the ethical framework within which this question arises in the context of the recently "completed" South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. |
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... Nation as narration " 147 .3 Ethnophilosophy revisited 157 2. An epistemological undecidability 164 .1 Similarities that are different 169 .2 The currency of anthropology 183 3. A representational undecidability 191 .1 The universalist ...
... Nation as narration " 147 .3 Ethnophilosophy revisited 157 2. An epistemological undecidability 164 .1 Similarities that are different 169 .2 The currency of anthropology 183 3. A representational undecidability 191 .1 The universalist ...
Page vi
... nation , one would expect at the same time to gain insight in what it would entail to move away from this crime scene , which in South African terms is our past , and what it would entail to articulate an African self that is liberated ...
... nation , one would expect at the same time to gain insight in what it would entail to move away from this crime scene , which in South African terms is our past , and what it would entail to articulate an African self that is liberated ...
Page xx
... nation lies the Social Contract " . Of course the social contract intended by the Labour Party was not the same philosophical notion that dominated Western political philosophy for centuries - reaching all the way back to the sophists ...
... nation lies the Social Contract " . Of course the social contract intended by the Labour Party was not the same philosophical notion that dominated Western political philosophy for centuries - reaching all the way back to the sophists ...
Page xxx
... nations " ? In other words , is the political imperative to conceive of the self in terms of ( Western ) nationalism not reflected in the attempt to reply to this imperative by supplementing this political self with an authentic ...
... nations " ? In other words , is the political imperative to conceive of the self in terms of ( Western ) nationalism not reflected in the attempt to reply to this imperative by supplementing this political self with an authentic ...
Page 91
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Contents
| i | |
| viii | |
| 1 | |
B Linguistic conventions as social contract | 41 |
Conclusion | 60 |
B Missionary orthodox speech | 69 |
A politics of return | 89 |
Speaking precisely | 121 |
An epistemological undecidability | 164 |
A representational undecidability | 191 |
Conclusion | 212 |
a social contract | 220 |
commodification | 228 |
narrating the social bond | 246 |
Koinonia as social bond | 257 |
Conclusion | 301 |
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Common terms and phrases
African philosophy agreement aliunde analysis anthropology apartheid Asmal assumed attempt authentic autonomy Bantu Philosophy binary Boesak break-down chapter Christian civil society collapse colonialism conceived concerned condition confession constitutive constructed contemporary context contract narrative contract theory contractarian conventions of understanding corpus delicti cultural desire difference differend discussion disfigurement Eboussi-Boulaga emphasis added epistemological ethical imperative ethnophilosophy existence fact function Glaucon historical Hobbes Hountondji human identify identity ideological in(ter)vention individual invention of Africa investigation justice knowledge Krog language Leviathan liberal democratic liberation linguistic logic Lyotard Masolo meaning meta-narrative moral Mudimbe myth narration narrative of return nation nationalist nature narrative negritude nonetheless ontological past possible post-colonial pre-colonial pre-political present problematic realisation reason reconciliation relation represent representational contract sense signifier social bond social contract social contract theory South Africa sovereign specific speech acts statements stories Tempels traditional transcendental truth ubuntu undecidability values victim Western words
Popular passages
Page 37 - In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and, which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor,...
Page 30 - Hereby it is manifest, that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war, and such a war as is of every man against every man.
Page 43 - The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect them.
Page 14 - Again, men have no pleasure, but on the contrary a great deal of grief, in keeping company, where there is no power able to overawe them all. For every man looketh that his companion should value him, at the same rate he sets upon himself...
Page 27 - I authorise and give up my right of governing myself, to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition, that thou give up thy right to him, and authorise all his actions in like manner.
Page 25 - From this fundamental law of nature, by which men are commanded to endeavour peace, is derived this second law; that a man be willing, when others are so too, as far forth, as for peace, and defence of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.
Page 40 - ... fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth, no navigation nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea, no commodious building, no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time, no arts, no letters, no society, and, which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
Page 100 - There were — and are — cultures and nations whose location is in the East, and their lives, histories, and customs have a brute reality obviously greater than anything that could be said about them in the West.
Page 15 - The passions that incline men to peace are fear of death, desire of such things as are necessary to commodious living, and a hope by their industry to obtain them.
Page 79 - ... constituted by all that was said in all the statements that named it, divided it up, described it, explained it, traced its developments, indicated its various correlations, judged it, and possibly gave it speech by articulating, in its name, discourses that were to be taken as its own.