2 - What Should Globalisation Mean for African Humanities and Why?
Corresponding Author(s) : Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2020): Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on The Politics of Knowledge Production in Africa
Abstract
This work sets out to engage the ideology of globalisation by interrogating the notion of humanities that has been applied to study the concept. To do this, it addresses the following question: if the idea of globalisation was interrogated from the idea of man (being human)1 and studies of human nature informed by the values, principles and norms that define the idea of humankind from the African worldview, what would it amount to? What ideals would drive such a project and what difference would it make for the human community? To address these questions, the article will locate African humanities through what it calls the dominant humanities orientation in Africa, defined as the study of man (being human) available through the intellectual industry of modern Africa and inscribed through various subjects studied in the humanities in African institutions. Thereafter, it will proceed to locate what man (being human) would mean, assuming that effort is made to locate the meaning through the African endogenous worldview. The article will next proceed to articulate the gains of applying the African endogenous idea of man (being human) in articulating and directing globalisation. The method applied is an inductive analysis of views and positions in the humanities, African thought and globalisation.
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- Ake, Claude, 1982, Social Science as Imperialism, Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press. Annotte, Schevan, 2011, ‘How do Humanities Help Us Master the Globalization Process?’.
- (https://www.ghi-dc.org/fileadmin/user_upload/GHI_Washington/Publications/Bulletin47/bu47_085.pdf). July 2018.
- Edeh, Emmanuel, 1985, Towards an Igbo Metaphysics, Chicago: Loyola University.
- Emevwo, Biakolo, 1998, ‘Categories of Cross-Cultural Cognition and the African Condition’, in, P.H. Coetzee and A.P.J. Roux, eds., The African Philosophy Reader, United Kingdom: Routledge.
- Foucault, Michel, 1970, The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, New York: Pantheon Books.
- Foucault, Michel, 2002, The Archaeology of Knowledge, translated by A. M. Sheridan Smith, New York: Rutledge.
- Goldberg, Jonah, 2018, ‘Was the Enlightenment Racist?’. (https://www.nationalre-view.com/magazine/2018/07/09/enlightenment-racist-no-equality-key/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NR%20Daily%20Monday%20through%20Friday%202018-06-21&utm_term=NR5PM%20Actives). 30 May 2021.
- Gyekye, Kwame, 2003, African Cultural Values: An Introduction, Accra: Sankofa Publishing Company.
- Held, D., McGrew, A., Goldblatt, D. and Perraton, J., 1999, Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture, USA: Stanford University Press.
- Hirst, P. and Thompson, G., 1999, Globalization in Question, second edition, USA: Polity Press.
- Hotep, Uhuru, 2011, ‘Decolonising the Afrikan Mind’. (https://habariganiamerica. files.wordpress.com/2012/02/decolonizing-the-african-mind.pdf). July 2018.
- Huntington, Samuel, 1993, ‘The Clash of Civilizations’, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 72, pp. 22–40
- Leiwei, David, 2001, ‘Introduction: Globalization and the Humanities’, Comparative Literature, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 275–282.
- Mogobe, Ramose, 1999, African Philosophy through Ubuntu, Harare: Mond Books.
- Ochieng’-Odhiambo, F., 1997, Introduction to African Philosophy, Kenya: Consolata Institute of Philosophy.
- Ogude, S.E., 1983, Genius in Bondage: A Study of the Origins of African Literature in English, Ife: Ife University Press.
- Oladipo, Olusegun, ed., 1995, Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy, 4 Essays by Kwasi Wiredu, Ibadan: Hope Publications.
- Rosenberg, Justin, 2000, The Follies of Globalization Theory, New York: Verso Publishing.
- Sen, Amartya, 1999, Commodities and Capabilities, second edition, Delhi, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2010, ‘An Insight into the Dilemma of African Moder- nity and a Theoretical Response’, in Proceedings of the 7th Iberian Congress of African Studies, hosted by ISCTE/Lisbon University Institute, Lisbon, Portugal, 30 May 2021.
- Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2011, ‘Aligning and Harnessing the Gains of Globalization to an African Advantage: Towards “Glo-fricanization”, in Ton Dietz,et al., eds., African Engagement: Africa Negotiating Multi-Polar World, eds., Leiden: Brill, pp. 346–363.
- Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2017, ‘Justifying and Advancing Conceptual Autonomy for African Humanities through Conceptual Africanisation’, paper delivered at the workshop on ‘Speaking of Africa in the World and Redefining the Social Sciences and the Humanities: Words and Validation of Knowledge’, Mali, October 21–27, 2017.
- Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2020, ‘Towards an African Theory of Just War’, Revista de Estudios Africanos, Número 1, p.51–65.
- Williamson, Kay, ed., 1972, Igbo-English Dictionary, Benin: Ethiope Publishing Company.
References
Ake, Claude, 1982, Social Science as Imperialism, Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press. Annotte, Schevan, 2011, ‘How do Humanities Help Us Master the Globalization Process?’.
(https://www.ghi-dc.org/fileadmin/user_upload/GHI_Washington/Publications/Bulletin47/bu47_085.pdf). July 2018.
Edeh, Emmanuel, 1985, Towards an Igbo Metaphysics, Chicago: Loyola University.
Emevwo, Biakolo, 1998, ‘Categories of Cross-Cultural Cognition and the African Condition’, in, P.H. Coetzee and A.P.J. Roux, eds., The African Philosophy Reader, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Foucault, Michel, 1970, The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, New York: Pantheon Books.
Foucault, Michel, 2002, The Archaeology of Knowledge, translated by A. M. Sheridan Smith, New York: Rutledge.
Goldberg, Jonah, 2018, ‘Was the Enlightenment Racist?’. (https://www.nationalre-view.com/magazine/2018/07/09/enlightenment-racist-no-equality-key/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NR%20Daily%20Monday%20through%20Friday%202018-06-21&utm_term=NR5PM%20Actives). 30 May 2021.
Gyekye, Kwame, 2003, African Cultural Values: An Introduction, Accra: Sankofa Publishing Company.
Held, D., McGrew, A., Goldblatt, D. and Perraton, J., 1999, Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture, USA: Stanford University Press.
Hirst, P. and Thompson, G., 1999, Globalization in Question, second edition, USA: Polity Press.
Hotep, Uhuru, 2011, ‘Decolonising the Afrikan Mind’. (https://habariganiamerica. files.wordpress.com/2012/02/decolonizing-the-african-mind.pdf). July 2018.
Huntington, Samuel, 1993, ‘The Clash of Civilizations’, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 72, pp. 22–40
Leiwei, David, 2001, ‘Introduction: Globalization and the Humanities’, Comparative Literature, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 275–282.
Mogobe, Ramose, 1999, African Philosophy through Ubuntu, Harare: Mond Books.
Ochieng’-Odhiambo, F., 1997, Introduction to African Philosophy, Kenya: Consolata Institute of Philosophy.
Ogude, S.E., 1983, Genius in Bondage: A Study of the Origins of African Literature in English, Ife: Ife University Press.
Oladipo, Olusegun, ed., 1995, Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy, 4 Essays by Kwasi Wiredu, Ibadan: Hope Publications.
Rosenberg, Justin, 2000, The Follies of Globalization Theory, New York: Verso Publishing.
Sen, Amartya, 1999, Commodities and Capabilities, second edition, Delhi, New York: Oxford University Press.
Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2010, ‘An Insight into the Dilemma of African Moder- nity and a Theoretical Response’, in Proceedings of the 7th Iberian Congress of African Studies, hosted by ISCTE/Lisbon University Institute, Lisbon, Portugal, 30 May 2021.
Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2011, ‘Aligning and Harnessing the Gains of Globalization to an African Advantage: Towards “Glo-fricanization”, in Ton Dietz,et al., eds., African Engagement: Africa Negotiating Multi-Polar World, eds., Leiden: Brill, pp. 346–363.
Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2017, ‘Justifying and Advancing Conceptual Autonomy for African Humanities through Conceptual Africanisation’, paper delivered at the workshop on ‘Speaking of Africa in the World and Redefining the Social Sciences and the Humanities: Words and Validation of Knowledge’, Mali, October 21–27, 2017.
Ugwuanyi, Lawrence Ogbo, 2020, ‘Towards an African Theory of Just War’, Revista de Estudios Africanos, Número 1, p.51–65.
Williamson, Kay, ed., 1972, Igbo-English Dictionary, Benin: Ethiope Publishing Company.