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The Rise of a New Senegalese Cultural Philosophy?

by Devin Bryson Abstract The Senegalese social movement Y’en a Marre formed in 2011 in response to political stagnation and a lack of key public services. It played a decisive role in defeating incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade in his unconstitutional reelection campaign in 2012. This article considers the movement within the context of postcolonial Senegalese cultural politics. […]

The New Type of Senegalese under Construction: Fadel Barro and Aliou Sané on Yenamarrism after Wade

by Sarah Nelson Abstract Senegal’s Y’en a Marre movement, formed in early 2011, was instrumental in mobilizing the nation’s population, and especially its youth, to participate in the 2012 presidential election and to prevent the incumbent president from hijacking the political institutions and electoral process in order to remain in power. Since the 2012 election, far from […]

Introduction

by Olabiyi Babalola Yai The articles in this issue of African Studies Quarterly are entirely devoted to studies of religion and philosophy in Africa. This is a wise decision at this juncture in the history of the cluster of disciplines called “African Studies”. For, as it is generally admitted, African worldviews and religions inform all […]

The (Mal) Function of “it” in Ifeanyi Menkiti’s Normative Account of Person

by Bernard Matolino Abstract The prominent African philosopher Ifeanyi Menkiti is of the view that the African conception of personhood is decidedly communitarian. He argues, however, that although there are various ways of conceiving the communitarian concept of personhood, some of these ways are erroneous. He claims that his conception of personhood, which privileges epistemological […]

A Critique of the Concept of Quasi-Physicalism in Akan Philosophy

by Hasskei Mohammed Majeed Abstract One important feature of recent African philosophical works is the attempt by writers to interpret some key concepts from within the context of specific African cultures. The interpretations of such writers, however, particularly in connection with Akan thought, have not been without problems. One such concept is the concept of a […]