African philosophies

Author's name: Sefreen Kodjo Granfodar Publisher: Kalimat Group for Translation Year of publication: 2025 Literary classification: Philosophy and Thought Brief about the book: The book by Sefreen Kodjo Granfodar addresses African philosophy from a multiple perspective, away from the traditional Western understanding that is limited to Western philosophers. The author emphasizes that African philosophy is a victim of misunderstanding by Westerners and by Africans themselves. Instead of providing a chronological sequence of African philosophies, it focuses on the questions and concepts highlighted by these philosophies. The book is divided into four main chapters: 1. Philosophy and African identity: reviews the emergence of the idea of African philosophy in the context of colonization and ethnology, pointing out how an African intellectual identity is constructed. 2. Racial and ethnic understanding of African philosophy: discusses the concepts of race and ethnicity in African philosophy, and how some philosophers used these concepts to build an African philosophy that transcends colonial perceptions. 3. Shift in the concept of African philosophy: presents contributions of African philosophers in rethinking African philosophy, indicating the development of African philosophy as a non-fixed movement. 4. African philosophy as practice: addresses political and social issues related to law, rights, and civil society, focusing on how African philosophers dealt with these issues in light of colonial traditions and African cultural heritage. The book concludes with a call to think of African philosophy as a migrating and changing philosophy, always seeking renewal and deconstruction, and not limited to unity or stability.