A Short History of African Philosophy (review)

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.) A Short History of African Philosophy, first published in 2002, is a recapitulation of the major debates that have characterized contemporary philosophical thought and practice in English-speaking Africa, beginning with the publication of the English translation of Placide Tempels' Bantu Philosophy in 1959. Specifically, the discussion of rationality under the rubrics of universality and relativism can be traced to the now-defunct debate - originated in the United Kingdom largely as a re-examination of the implications for British neo-positivism of E. E. Evans-Pritchard's now classic study of the Azande, namely Witchraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande (1937) - about what counts as a rational account of causal relations between things or observable states of affairs in the world. In recent years, this discourse has expanded beyond the strict English-speaking circles or themes traditionally associated with the practice of philosophy within that general intellectual lineage. Since 1983 or thereabouts, English-speaking African philosophy and its audiences have embraced or included the thoughts and works of some African philosophers from French-speaking nations, which - thanks to the mediation of translators and publishers in the United States, where African philosophy has made a significant academic impact and presence - have become an essential part of the resources of the English-speaking African school.