Master's Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Philosophy - Miscellaneous, grade: 80%, Loyola College (Department of Philosophy), course: Philosophy, language: English, abstract: In the exploration of philosophical thought, African philosophy stands as a rich tapestry of cultural depth and intellectual inquiry, offering unique insights into the human experience. This thesis delves into the essence of African philosophical thought and its interaction with Eurocentric influences. Against the backdrop of Africa's diverse traditions and histories, this study seeks to understand the role of Ubuntu philosophy in shaping African identity amidst the challenges posed by Eurocentric ideologies. The introductory sections provide a foundation for the analysis, outlining the dissertation's structure and objectives. Beginning with an overview of African philosophy's tenets, nature, and historical development, the study examines fundamental principles such as the interconnectedness of individuals and communities, the importance of oral traditions, and the influence of societal structures on philosophical discourse. Subsequent chapters explore contemporary philosophical trends within Africa, highlighting diverse schools of thought that have emerged in response to external influences. From ethnophilosophy to hermeneutics, each school offers unique insights into Africa's philosophical landscape, reflecting the ongoing quest to reclaim indigenous wisdom and challenge Eurocentric hegemony. Central to the inquiry is an examination of Eurocentrism and its impact on African philosophy. Through an analysis of colonial legacies, racial biases, and epistemological paradigms, the study illuminates the ways in which Eurocentric ideologies have marginalized and distorted African intellectual traditions, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of Ubuntu philosophy as a potential response. At its core, the study interrogates Ubuntu philosophy and its transformative potential in the face of Eurocentric domination. Drawing on historical accounts, contemporary examples, and comparative analyses, it elucidates Ubuntu's core principles of interconnectedness, compassion, and communal solidarity, highlighting its universal relevance as a philosophy of human dignity and mutual respect.

Indigenous knowledge is regarded as undocumented cultural, local, traditional, and community knowledge produced and owned by local people in their specific communities. It is mainly preserved in the memories of elders and shared or passed on from generation to generation through oral communication, traditional practices, and demonstrations. This irreplaceable resource may be lost forever as a direct result of the pressures of modernization, colonization, and globalization. Concern over the loss of Indigenous knowledge has thus raised a need for the preservation and documentation of this knowledge in digital formats. Digital Preservation and Documentation of Global Indigenous Knowledge Systems determines how Indigenous knowledge can be documented and digitally preserved to benefit Indigenous knowledge owners and their communities and be accessible for future generations. The book provides the best practices, innovative strategies, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and empirical research findings regarding the digital preservation and documentation of Indigenous knowledge systems worldwide. Covering topics such as digital media platforms, educational management, and knowledge systems, this premier reference source is a valuable and useful tool for students, information professionals, knowledge managers, records managers, Indigenous knowledge owners, Indigenous community leaders, librarians, archivists, computer scientists, information technology specialists, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

This book explores and discusses emerging perspectives of Ubuntu from the vantage point of “ordinary” people and connects it to human rights and decolonizing discourses. It engages a decolonizing perspective in writing about Ubuntu as an indigenous concept. The fore grounding argument is that one’s positionality speaks to particular interests that may continue to sustain oppressions instead of confronting and dismantling them. Therefore, a decolonial approach to writing indigenous experiences begins with transparency about the researcher’s own positionality. The emerging perspectives of this volume are contextual, highlighting the need for a critical reading for emerging, transformative and alternative visions in human relations and social structures.

Through innovative and critical research, this anthology inquires and challenges issues of race and positionality, empirical sciences, colonial education models, and indigenous knowledges. Chapter authors from diverse backgrounds present empirical explorations that examine how decolonial work and Indigenous knowledges disrupt, problematize, challenge, and transform ongoing colonial oppression and colonial paradigm. This book utilizes provocative and critical research that takes up issues of race, the shortfalls of empirical sciences, colonial education models, and the need for a resurgence in Indigenous knowledges to usher in a new public sphere. This book is a testament of hope that places decolonization at the heart of our human community.

The scholarly field of Critical Management Studies (CMS) is in a state of flux. Against a backdrop of dramatic global shifts, CMS scholarship has lately taken a number of new and exciting directions and, at times, challenged older critical voices. Novel theoretical frameworks and diverse research interests mark the CMS field as never before. Interrogating conventional critiques of management and arguing for fresh approaches, The Routledge Companion to Critical Management Studies captures this intellectual ferment and new spirit of inquiry within CMS, and showcases the pluralistic generation of CMS scholars that has emerged in recent years. Setting the scene for a crucial period for the discipline, this insightful volume covers new ground and essential areas grouped under the following themes: Critique and its (dis-)contents Difference, otherness, marginality Knowledge at the crossroads History and discourse Global predicaments. Drawing on the expertise of an international team of contributing scholars, The Routledge Companion to Critical Management Studies is a rich resource and the perfect reference tool for students and researchers of management and organization.

Human beings have the possibility to give meaning to their lives and to create coherence in experiences. Present-day humanism strongly focuses on personal development in relation to others. It is this tension between personal development and advancement of humanization, that is creating the opportunities for the personal development of every world citizen. Humanism is about personal autonomy, moral responsibility, and about solidarity with humanity. The tension between autonomy and social involvement is the core of humanism. Education can support persons in their moral and personal identity development. The authors brought together in this book all address issues of developing autonomy and humanity in educational practices. All the chapters try to link theory and practice. They either make theoretical ideas more practical or they use practical experiences and concerns to rethink theoretical notions. Together the chapters in the book give a broad overview of theoretical foundations, concrete research, and practices in education. The book shows a diversity that can inspire scholars and practitioners in further developing their perspectives. Creating meaning is an essential part of all education. Focusing on the linking of autonomy and humanity is the humanist perspective in it.

Although the manifestation of what is taken to be indigenous knowledge could presumably be traced back roughly to the origins of humankind, the idea of indigenous knowledge is a fairly recent phenomenon. It has arguably gained conceptual and discursive currency only over the past half century, with a veritable slew of conferences, workshops, special journal editions, and anthologies devoted to the topic. Yet, there has been no treatise that offers a comprehensive, critical examination of this notion. Accounts of indigenous knowledge usually focus on explanations of “indigenous,” “local,” “traditional,” “African” and the like – but to date not a single defense of indigenous knowledge has bothered to explain the particular understanding of “knowledge” the authors are working with. Indigenous Knowledge: Philosophical and Educational Considerations’s critique of the idea of indigenous knowledge should in no way be understood as an endorsement of the evils of colonial conquest and (ongoing) exploitation, oppression, and subjugation. Nor should it be taken as an indication of a failure on the part of the Kai Horsthemke to sympathize with the struggle of indigenous peoples the world over for a dignified and sustainable way of life, for personal and communal space, and for self-determination. The aim of the book is to provide especially “indigenous” educators with theoretical tools for critical reflection and interrogation of their own and others’ preconceptions, assumptions, and epistemic practices and customs.

This is the first comprehensive exploration of African ethics covering everything from normative ethics and applied ethics, to meta-ethics and methodology, as well as the history of its evolution. African Ethics provides an in-depth exploration of Ubuntu ethics which is defined as a set of values based on concepts such as reciprocity, mutual respect, and working towards the common good. Ubuntu ethics also strongly emphasize the place of human dignity. The book engages with both theory and practice and how these ethical ideas impact upon the actual lived experience of Africans. It also includes important political considerations such as the impact of imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism on African ethics as well as the negative impact of apartheid and the renaissance made possible by the 'The Truth and Reconciliation Commission' whose work was premised heavily on African ethical ideas. This book is not just a wide-ranging and incisive introduction but also a reformulation of key concepts and current debates in African ethics. Crucially, African Ethics is an inclusive text, one that speaks from an African perspective and contributes to the decolonizing of contemporary ethics.

The present book is a collection of scholarly reflections on the theme of humanism from an integrational linguistic perspective. It studies humanist thought in relation to the philosophy of language and communication underpinning it and considers the question whether being a ‘humanist’ binds one to a particular view of language. The contributions to this volume explore whether integrational linguistics, being informed by a non-mainstream semiology and adopting a lay linguistic perspective, can provide better answers to contentious ontological and epistemological questions concerning the humanist project – questions having to do with the self, reason, authenticity, creativity, free agency, knowledge and human communication. The humanist perspectives adopted by the contributors to this volume are critical insofar as they start from semiological assumptions that challenge received notions within mainstream linguistics, such as the belief that languages are fixed-codes of some kind, that communication serves the purpose of thought transfer, and that languages are prerequisites for communication.

This book makes a bold announcement for the beginning of a postethnophilosophical phase in modern African thought. It re-considers the question: “What is African philosophy,” and introduces a strategy for setting a broad and productive agenda for contemporary African philosophical thought.