African Philosophy and Epistemic Justice: Why We Need to Rewrite the History of Philosophy

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African Philosophy and Epistemic Justice: Why We Need to Rewrite the History of Philosophy

Epistemic justice asks who is recognized as a producer of knowledge, whose concepts are taught, and which archives are preserved. These questions are central to the place of African philosophy in global intellectual history.

Absence is historically produced

The limited presence of African thinkers in philosophical curricula is not evidence of an absence of thought. It reflects unequal systems of publication, translation, classification, and institutional authority.

Beyond adding names

Rewriting the history of philosophy cannot be reduced to inserting several African figures into an unchanged narrative. It requires rethinking periods, problems, encounters, and the routes through which ideas have travelled.

Justice and philosophical rigor

Epistemic justice is not a charitable gesture. It improves philosophical knowledge by correcting incomplete archives and opening debate to arguments, languages, and experiences that dominant canons have overlooked.

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