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A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps #7
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century
In this latest instalment of the series A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers delve into the fascinating world of Africana Philosophy.
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century is the first of two volumes in the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps series to bring readers the story of Africana philosophy. This diverse topic is defined as philosophy emerging from and distinctively related to Africa or the African diaspora. The story starts at the very beginning by asking what it would mean to engage philosophically with evidence left by prehistoric peoples of Africa, and proceeds to discuss the philosophical traditions of ancient Egypt, late ancient and early modern Ethopia, and Islamic philosophy in West Africa. A number of chapters then explore the idea of philosophy in African oral traditions, considering the methodological debates that have raged between African philosophers like John Mbiti, Paulin Hountondji, and Henry Odera Oruka.
Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers also consider philosophical responses to the situation brought about by the transatlantic slave trade and the early colonization of Africa. Starting from early figures like Anton Wilhelm Amo and Phillis Wheatley, and the ideas that drove the Haitian Revolution, extensive discussion is then given to Africana philosophy of the nineteenth century. The incendiary ideas of David Walker, the nuanced rhetoric of Frederick Douglass, and the clashing approaches of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are among the highlights here. Significant attention is given to female thinkers like Maria W. Stewart, Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida B. Wells. The coverage is also geographically diverse, with chapters on figures who worked not only in Africa and the United States, but also Brazil, Canada, Britain, France, and the Caribbean.
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century is the first of two volumes in the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps series to bring readers the story of Africana philosophy. This diverse topic is defined as philosophy emerging from and distinctively related to Africa or the African diaspora. The story starts at the very beginning by asking what it would mean to engage philosophically with evidence left by prehistoric peoples of Africa, and proceeds to discuss the philosophical traditions of ancient Egypt, late ancient and early modern Ethopia, and Islamic philosophy in West Africa. A number of chapters then explore the idea of philosophy in African oral traditions, considering the methodological debates that have raged between African philosophers like John Mbiti, Paulin Hountondji, and Henry Odera Oruka.
Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers also consider philosophical responses to the situation brought about by the transatlantic slave trade and the early colonization of Africa. Starting from early figures like Anton Wilhelm Amo and Phillis Wheatley, and the ideas that drove the Haitian Revolution, extensive discussion is then given to Africana philosophy of the nineteenth century. The incendiary ideas of David Walker, the nuanced rhetoric of Frederick Douglass, and the clashing approaches of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are among the highlights here. Significant attention is given to female thinkers like Maria W. Stewart, Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida B. Wells. The coverage is also geographically diverse, with chapters on figures who worked not only in Africa and the United States, but also Brazil, Canada, Britain, France, and the Caribbean.
Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2025
About the author
Peter S. Adamson
30 books139 followersPeter Scott Adamson is an American academic who is professor of philosophy in late antiquity and in the Islamic world at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as well as professor of ancient and medieval philosophy at Kings College London.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2026
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century offers a rich, comprehensive, and engaging exploration of the intellectual traditions that have shaped Africana philosophy across centuries of history. In this impressive volume of the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps series, Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers present a broad and nuanced account of philosophical thought emerging from Africa and the African diaspora, expanding the conventional boundaries of the history of philosophy.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its remarkable historical scope. Beginning with philosophical questions surrounding prehistoric Africa and ancient Egypt, the authors guide readers through the intellectual traditions of Ethiopia, Islamic West Africa, African oral philosophy, and the philosophical responses to slavery, colonialism, and emancipation. This chronological approach reveals the depth, diversity, and continuity of Africana philosophical thought across different cultures and historical periods.
The book is particularly engaging in its commitment to presenting a diverse range of philosophical voices. Alongside influential figures such as Anton Wilhelm Amo, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois, the authors devote significant attention to pioneering women thinkers including Phillis Wheatley, Maria W. Stewart, Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida B. Wells. Their inclusion highlights the richness and diversity of Africana intellectual traditions while broadening readers' understanding of philosophical history.
Another notable strength is the book's thoughtful examination of the methodological debates surrounding African philosophy itself. By exploring discussions about oral traditions, cultural identity, and the nature of philosophy through the work of scholars such as John Mbiti, Paulin Hountondji, and Henry Odera Oruka, Adamson and Jeffers provide readers with valuable insight into both the history and methodology of Africana philosophy.
Written with clarity, scholarly rigor, and accessibility, the book successfully combines historical narrative with philosophical analysis. Its global perspective and interdisciplinary approach make it an outstanding resource for students, scholars, and general readers seeking a deeper understanding of Africa's intellectual heritage and its enduring influence on world philosophy.
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century will appeal to readers interested in Africana philosophy, African history, intellectual history, political philosophy, ethics, the history of ideas, African diaspora studies, postcolonial studies, and comparative philosophy.
Overall, Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers deliver an outstanding contribution to the history of philosophy that broadens the philosophical canon while illuminating the profound richness, diversity, and global significance of Africana intellectual traditions.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its remarkable historical scope. Beginning with philosophical questions surrounding prehistoric Africa and ancient Egypt, the authors guide readers through the intellectual traditions of Ethiopia, Islamic West Africa, African oral philosophy, and the philosophical responses to slavery, colonialism, and emancipation. This chronological approach reveals the depth, diversity, and continuity of Africana philosophical thought across different cultures and historical periods.
The book is particularly engaging in its commitment to presenting a diverse range of philosophical voices. Alongside influential figures such as Anton Wilhelm Amo, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois, the authors devote significant attention to pioneering women thinkers including Phillis Wheatley, Maria W. Stewart, Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida B. Wells. Their inclusion highlights the richness and diversity of Africana intellectual traditions while broadening readers' understanding of philosophical history.
Another notable strength is the book's thoughtful examination of the methodological debates surrounding African philosophy itself. By exploring discussions about oral traditions, cultural identity, and the nature of philosophy through the work of scholars such as John Mbiti, Paulin Hountondji, and Henry Odera Oruka, Adamson and Jeffers provide readers with valuable insight into both the history and methodology of Africana philosophy.
Written with clarity, scholarly rigor, and accessibility, the book successfully combines historical narrative with philosophical analysis. Its global perspective and interdisciplinary approach make it an outstanding resource for students, scholars, and general readers seeking a deeper understanding of Africa's intellectual heritage and its enduring influence on world philosophy.
Africana Philosophy from Ancient Egypt to the Nineteenth Century will appeal to readers interested in Africana philosophy, African history, intellectual history, political philosophy, ethics, the history of ideas, African diaspora studies, postcolonial studies, and comparative philosophy.
Overall, Peter Adamson and Chike Jeffers deliver an outstanding contribution to the history of philosophy that broadens the philosophical canon while illuminating the profound richness, diversity, and global significance of Africana intellectual traditions.
April 14, 2026
A well-researched and insightful discourse on Africana Philosophy.
Peter Adamson & Chike Jeffers offer us a framework for questioning "what even is Philosophy?" outside a Eurocentric genealogy of the question in its historical form—starting with the earliest known intellectual signposts and the artistic expressions recorded to signify changes in capability within Africa.
We are introduced to the philosophical enquiries into Time and Divination recorded as early as the Egyptian Dynasty of the Pharaohs, and to the cultural manifestations that engaged with them to secure familiar bonds and alliances.
To better grasp the tasks required to expand this field of thought into the future, Adamson & Jeffers define a field of study called "Ethnophilosophy", which is subsumed into African Philosophy. By differentiating "Ethnophilosophy" from Africana Philosophy, we can move beyond philosophising about culture and cultural symbolism, and discuss the key points of cultural impact and abstraction.
As we turn to the New World and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we are offered a bright landscape of writers and activists who speak to the African experience outside Africa. A diaspora born in dark times takes up the pen to form the ideas needed to support abolitionism and to display a human intellect that was once dismissed but can never be ignored.
The book ends in the new world, signposting cultural change, such as the Harlem Renaissance, with writers like Alain L. Locke, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. We are left embracing our struggle that as an African thinker cannot be avoided.
I'm left looking forward to the next volume and will keep following our capacity to think, feel, and express in all remit I can connect with.
Peter Adamson & Chike Jeffers offer us a framework for questioning "what even is Philosophy?" outside a Eurocentric genealogy of the question in its historical form—starting with the earliest known intellectual signposts and the artistic expressions recorded to signify changes in capability within Africa.
We are introduced to the philosophical enquiries into Time and Divination recorded as early as the Egyptian Dynasty of the Pharaohs, and to the cultural manifestations that engaged with them to secure familiar bonds and alliances.
To better grasp the tasks required to expand this field of thought into the future, Adamson & Jeffers define a field of study called "Ethnophilosophy", which is subsumed into African Philosophy. By differentiating "Ethnophilosophy" from Africana Philosophy, we can move beyond philosophising about culture and cultural symbolism, and discuss the key points of cultural impact and abstraction.
As we turn to the New World and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we are offered a bright landscape of writers and activists who speak to the African experience outside Africa. A diaspora born in dark times takes up the pen to form the ideas needed to support abolitionism and to display a human intellect that was once dismissed but can never be ignored.
The book ends in the new world, signposting cultural change, such as the Harlem Renaissance, with writers like Alain L. Locke, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. We are left embracing our struggle that as an African thinker cannot be avoided.
I'm left looking forward to the next volume and will keep following our capacity to think, feel, and express in all remit I can connect with.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews