AFRI-PHIL

An email list for the discussion of topics related to the philosophy of African society and history, its current issues and future directions.

The primary purpose of this List is to provide a forum for the exchange of views, experiences, techniques, and professional information pertaining to the teaching and study of the philosophical thought of African and African-diaspora cultures. The principal emphasis of the List will be upon the philosophical examination of African thought and culture, though this emphasis should not be taken restrictively or in a manner excluding the consideration of other approaches (e.g., literary, historical, anthropological, etc.)

"African Philosophy" will deliberately remain a vague term. It can refer to philosophy practiced, produced or originating in Africa, philosophy as done by Africans or members of the diaspora, philosophy inspired by African concepts, or philosophy relevant to African concerns, among other things.

We anticipate and encourage discussion on this List of such topics as:

New publications (books and articles) relevant to African philosophy;
Future directions and current controversies in African philosophy;
Discussions of how African philosophy is taught (i.e., the various emphases and manners of presentation of philosophical issues in courses of various levels);
The relations of African philosophy to ordinary languages and literatures, and to scientific and technological traditions, as well as practices of work and religion;
Conceptions of logic and rationality as these are influenced by and reflect cultural differences (e.g., between African and European, and African and Oriental
Questions pertaining to major and influential figures in African philosophy, both classical and contemporary, e.g, e.g, Za'ra Yaeqob, Frantz Fanon, Odera Oruka, etc.
Where African philosophy seems to be going in the early 21st Century.

Thus, this list is primarily intended to be a forum

for scholarly and interdisciplinary discussions of African philosophy and its relations to other traditions and schools of philosophy;
for pedagogical and theoretical discussions of materials relating to research and teaching regarding African thought and philosophy.
for sharing information regarding conferences, lectures, recent publications, bibliographies, new WWW sites, and other information of potential value to those interested in African philosophy.

The list is largely unmoderated and open to anyone, from any discipline, with a serious academic interest in this area of study. Questions, shared research and insight, and relevant conference announcements/calls for papers are welcome and encouraged.

AFRI-PHIL moved from Bucknell University to Lehman College, CUNY in April of 2001. Subscription protocol, therefore, also changed, as did the location of archives (at least from that point forward). Read further for updated instructions, or contact a list-owner below.

TO SUBSCRIBE

Option 1: Go to http://lehman.listserv.cuny.edu/scriptslc/wa-lc.exe?SUBED1=afri-phil&A=1 and follow the instructions.

Option 2: Send a message to the following address:

LISTSERV@LEHMAN.CUNY.EDU

containing in the body of the message the subscription line:

SUB AFRI-PHIL <Yourfirstname Yourlastname>

For example:

SUB AFRI-PHIL Odera Oruka

When you subscribe you automatically receive explanatory information both about the group and about the "listserv" mechanisms you will use to communicate with the other members of the group.

The discussions which take place on this List are automatically archived, and can be accessed and downloaded by subscribers who wish to review earlier discussions or discussions which occurred prior to their membership on the List. To obtain a copy of the archive logs, first send the command "INDEX AFRI-PHIL" to the address "LISTSERV@BUCKNELL.EDU" and you will receive a listing of the log files by date. Then send a "GET" command (followed by the name of the relevant log file) to the same Listserv address, and you should receive the file by email promptly. For archives of messages since April 2001, go to http://lehman.listserv.cuny.edu/archives/afri-phil.html.

The Co-Managers of the List are:

Julie Maybee, Department of Philosophy, Lehman College, CUNY New York, NY maybee@alpha.lehman.cuny.edu. Home Page: http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/depts/philosophy/maybee

Bruce B. Janz, Department of Philosophy, University of Central Florida. Email: janzb@mail.ucf.edu. Home Page: brucejanz.com

If you have any questions or difficulties regarding posting to the List or receiving messages from the List, please contact the Managers at the above email addresses. Please begin by contacting either Julie Maybee or Bruce Janz.