African(a) philosophy discussion groups MT20
opp invites you to our critical discussion group mt20 !
LEARN & DISCUSS crucial topics & methods within the African(a) Philosophical Tradition from leading thinkers in the field.
as concern for widening the focus of academic philosophy beyond the mainstream myth of the 'western' tradition grows, we place attention on African(a) philosophy. "Africana" is used in this phrase to indicate philosophy from the African continent as well as the African diaspora. in the age of Black Lives Matter, it seems particularly pertinent to ask what we can learn about the history of philosophy if we turn our attention to the intellectual traditions of African and African-descended peoples.
all welcome! reading is recommended but not necessary to attend.
Week 2: Dr. Chike Jeffers - What is Africana Philosophy?
22.10.20, 5pm zoom
Our first speaker is Dr. Chike Jeffers (Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada) who will be providing us with an Introduction to Africana Philosophy.
Learning Resources:
History of Africana Philosophy podcasts:
Episode 1: Something Old, Something New: Introducing Africana Philosophy
Episode 29: Out of Africa: Slavery and the Diaspora
Lewis Gordon's Introduction to Africana Philosophy, Introduction & Chapter 1
Week 3: Prof. Samuel Imbo - Africana Philosophy and the Oral Tradition
28.10.20, 5pm zoom
Our speaker for this week is Prof. Samuel Imbo (Hamline University, Minnesota, USA)
Learning Resources:
Podcast episode: Samuel Imbo on Okot p'Bitek and Oral Traditions: https://historyofphilosophy.net/oral-traditions-imbo
Week 4: Prof. Jane Anna Gordon - Creolising Africana Philosophy
5.11.20, 5pm zoom
Our speaker for this week is Prof. Jane Anna Gordon (University of Connecticut, Connecticut, USA)
Learning Resources:
Core Reading:
Jane Anna Gordon, Creolising Political Idenitity and Social Scientific Method
Extra:
Jane Anna Gordon, Creolising Political Theory - Intro, chapter 5
Jane Anna Gordon, Creolising Rosa Luxembourg
Jane Anna Gordon, No Socialism Without Slavery on this Wretched Earth
[Podcast] Jane Anna Gordon on Statelessness, Contemporary Enslavement, Frantz Fanon, Creolization, Anarchism, and Rosa Luxemburg (link)
All readings can be found here.
Week 5: Prof. Tommy J. Curry - Africana Philosophy as a Decolonial Method
12.11.20, 5pm zoom
Our speaker for this week is Prof. Tommy J. Curry (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK)
Learning Resources:
Core:
Sylvia Wynter, On How We Mistook the Map for Territory, and Re-Imprisoned Ourselves, in Our Unbearable Wrongness of Being, of Désêtre
Extra:
Leonard Harris, Necrobeing
E. Franklin Frazier, Failure of the Negro Intellectual
Lucius Outlaw, Black Folk and the Struggle in Philosophy
All readings can be found here.
Week 7: Prof. Joy James - Abolition and Acquiescence
26.11.20, 5pm zoom
Our speaker for this week is Prof. Joy James (Williams College, Massachusetts, USA)
Learning Resources:
Joy James, Ebenezer Fitch Professor of the Humanities, Williams College, writes on political theory, political imprisonment, and the Captive Maternal.
https://www.blackagendareport.com/black-maternals-yoked...
Week 8: Prof. Nkiru Nzegwu - Africana Philosophy and Feminism
3.12.20, 5pm zoom
Our speaker for this week is Prof. Nkiru Nzegwu (Binghampton University, New York, USA)
Learning Resources:
Nzegwu, Nkiru. "Introduction," Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy of Culture. Albany, NY: SUNY Press 2006, 1-21.
Nzegwu, Nkiru. “Feminism and Africa: Impact and Limits of the Metaphysics of Gender.” In A Companion to African Philosophy. Ed. Kwasi Wiredu. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 560-569.
Nzegwu, Nkiru. Symposium: Lead Author. “How (If At All) Is Gender Relevant to Philosophy,” Journal of World Phi-losophies 1, 1, 2016: 75-118. (Online)