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Articles · Vol. 18 No. 1 (2020): Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on The Politics of Knowledge Production in Africa · Pages 23 - 37

What Should Globalisation Mean for African Humanities and Why?

  • Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi
    Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi
    Professor of Philosophy and Director, Internship and Linkages Unit, University of Abuja, Nigeria. Email: lawr enceogbougwuanyi@gmail.com
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Vol. 18 · 2020 No. 1 Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on The Politics of Knowledge Production in Africa JHEA

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.

What Should Globalisation Mean for African Humanities and Why?

Ce travail se propose d’aborder l’idéologie de la mondialisation en interrogeant la notion de sciences humaines qui a été appliquée pour étudier le concept. Pour ce faire, il pose la question suivante : si l’idée de mondialisation était posée à partir de l’idée de l’homme (en tant qu’être humain) et d’études de la nature humaine informées par les valeurs, principes et normes qui définissent l’idée d’humanité de la vision africaine du monde, à quoi correspondrait la réponse ? Quels idéaux pourraient sous-tendre un tel projet et quelle différence aurait-il pour la communauté humaine ? Pour répondre à ces questions, l’article situera les humanités africaines à travers ce qu’il appelle l’orientation dominante des humanités en Afrique, définies comme l’étude de l’homme (être humain) disponible à travers l’industrie intellectuelle de l’Afrique moderne, et inscrites à tra- vers divers sujets étudiés en Sciences humaines dans les institutions africaines. Ensuite, il procédera à la localisation de ce que signifierait l’homme (être humain), supposant que des efforts sont faits pour localiser le sens à travers la vision endogène africaine du monde. L’article procédera ensuite à l’articulation des avantages de l’application de l’idée endogène africaine de l’homme (être humain) dans l’articulation et la direction de la mondialisation. La méthode appliquée est l’analyse inductive des points de vue et des positions dans les sciences humaines, de la pensée africaine et de la mondialisation.

Keywords

Globalisation African Humanities africa

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Author Biography

  • Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi

    Professor of Philosophy and Director, Internship and Linkages Unit, University of Abuja, Nigeria. Email: lawrenceogbougwuanyi@gmail.com

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