Philosophical Dialogue Between Africa and the Americas
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Philosophical Dialogue Between Africa and the Americas
World Philosophy Day
November 17, 2011
Lucius Outlaw, "Necessity of Philosophy"
"AFRICA AND ITS DIASPORA"
WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR
FOR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT, 2011
18 - 20 APRIL 2011
PURDUE UNIVERSITY, USA
Leonard Harris
lharrisconferences@purdue.edu
Archives
April 18, 2011 - Opening Ceremony
April 19-20, 2011 - Round table discussions
-
Table 1: Room 1 (
English |
French), Room 2 (
English |
Spanish)
Previous generations of Africana philosophers have argued over the meaning of African Philosophy, African-American Philosophy and Caribbean/Latin Philosophy as well as local formations such as Bantu, Akan or Yoruba philosophy. Considering the diverse schools of thought and interpretation of these "philosophies," how have these enquiries evolved? What are the dominant new perspectives? What is the place of Africana philosophy within the academic offers at universities in Africa, North America and Latin America and the Caribbean today? How does Africana philosophy associate itself with international endeavors in favor of the "commemoration" of painful historical events? Considering this debate from the perspective of the African Diaspora in the Americas, one also has to reflect on how multiculturalism has contributed to shape what might be simplistically called "African Philosophy", "African-American Philosophy" and "Caribbean/Latin Philosophy". -
Table 2: Room 1 (
English |
French), Room 2 (
English |
Spanish)
Historically, African people and African descendents endured racialized colonization, enslavement and oppression; but their positive efforts of recovery, exploration and critique engendered new forms of thought and political actions. To what extent does their specific philosophical approach question/transcend the frontier between theory and practice? Does the concept of "liberation" still have a political meaning today, especially from the postmodern point of view? What is the impact of such a philosophical move, which is fundamentally critical, on contemporary societies in Africa and Latin America? How is the legacy of the Liberation philosophers transmitted to youth today? What are the philosophical links between Liberation philosophy and indigenous philosophy? -
Table 3: Room 1 (
English |
French), Room 2 (
English |
Spanish)
Globalization paradoxically highlights the divides between groups of peoples. Whether economic, social, cultural and technological, divides between the centre and the periphery are perceived as more acute because geographic mobility and new ITCs permit extensive interaction, comparison and competition. What is the effect of such an evolution on communities who share a common history but who live on different sites, often unable to trace common ancestry? How does the state of "Diaspora" redefine "identity" and "community" in relation with the origins and the new conditions? How does linguistic diversity existing among Africans, African descendents, and North and South American communities affect the sense of community? What should "community" mean? -
Table 4: Room 1 (
English |
French), Room 2 (
English |
Spanish)
The international impetus given by the proclamation of the International Year for African Descent provides grounds for reflecting on the conditions, the role and the contributions of African descendents in shaping contemporary multicultural societies. The fights for political recognition and the struggle against racial discrimination; the critical appreciation of the modalities of recognition and recovery achieved, be it political, cultural, social, academic, etc.; and the aspiration to benefit from the multifaceted progress of development, demand that we enquire on how philosophers have reflected on the nature of 'development' and 'progress'. This requires that fundamental questions are raised: What still needs to be recognized today? What is the nature of 'recognition' given different historical and contemporary forms of social degradation? What is the sense of commemoration? Are there new forms of injustice, especially in a context of globalization? Learning from recent history, what kind of development is to be thought of? How does Gender equity inform new moves for development? -
Table 5: Room 1 (
English |
Portuguese), Room 2 (
English |
French)
The history of philosophy is often characterized as "logocentric" in the sense that it tends to discard what can not be clearly categorized as rational and based on a written tradition. The case of African and indigenous American intellectual traditions offers an infinitely rich field of study with this regard, because while dealing with oral cultures, sages philosophy, indigenous philosophy, etc., classic and logocentric norms and categories are challenged. What are the new fields opened up by this enquiry? How the classic philosophical dogma can be revised? How do people philosophize in a context of linguistic diversity? -
Table 6: Room 1 (
English |
French), Room 2 (
English |
French)
Africana philosophy has extensively reflected on aesthetic experience. What is the specificity of the latter in the experience of thought? Do arts have a power in energizing people towards liberation? What kind of communication is possible in artistic work between Africa and the Americas?
Interviews
English
French
Portuguese
Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2011 Interview of Charles Romain Mbele by Esra Coskun |
Spanish
Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2011 Interview of Ricardo Guillermo Maliandi by Jacqueline Hanoman |
Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2011 Interview of Enrique Dussel by Jacqueline Hanoman |
Older interviews
- Interview of Dr. Nkolo Foé by Léon-Marie Ndjodo & Serge Aliana (Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2010)
- Interview of Dr. Lewis Gordon by Dr. Darryl Scriven (Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2003)
- Interview of Paulin J. Jountondji by Chike Jeffers (Philosophy Born of Struggle: November 1, 2008)
- Interview of Mahamadé Savadogo by Omar Dia (Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2010)
- Interview of Paul Taylor by Jacoby A. Carter (Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2008)
- Interview of Kwasi Wiredu by Chike Jeffers (Philosophy Born of Struggle: 2008)
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