Philosophical foundations of the African humanities through postcolonial perspectives / edited by Helen Yitah and Helen Lauer.

• TeilnehmendeR: Yitah, Helen,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill-Rodopi,, 2019.
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Cross/Cultures 209.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (313 pages).
• Notes: Includes index.

Philosophical Foundations of the African Humanities through Postcolonial Perspectives critiques recent claims that the humanities, especially in public universities in poor countries, have lost their significance, defining missions, methods and standards due to the pressure to justify their existence. The predominant responses to these claims have been that the humanities are relevant for creating a “world culture” to address the world’s problems. This book argues that behind such arguments lies a false neutrality constructed to deny the values intrinsic to marginalized cultures and peoples and to justify their perceived inferiority. These essays by scholars in postcolonial studies critique these false claims about the humanities through critical analyses of alterity, difference, and how the Other is perceived, defined and subdued. Contributors: Gordon S.K. Adika, Kofi N. Awoonor, E. John Collins, Kari Dako, Mary Esther Kropp Dakubu, James Gibbs, Helen Lauer, Bernth Lindfors, J.H. Kwabena Nketia, Abena Oduro, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Olúfémi Táíwò, Alexis B. Tengan, Kwasi Wiredu, Francis Nii-Yartey

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Contributors -- Figures and Tables -- Mediating a Hapless Postcolonialism through Experiential Critique / Helen Yitah -- The Humanities and the Postcolonial Experience -- Philosophical Foundations of the Humanities / Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak -- The Humanities and the Postcolonial Ghanaian Experience: The Jubilee Year / Kofi N. Awoonor -- Beyond the Labor Market: Reinforcing the Epistemic Advantage of African Universities in the Global Knowledge Society / Helen Lauer -- Contemporary Ghanaian Dance: A Basis for Scholarly Investigation of the Human Condition / Francis Nii-Yartey -- The Formulation of Research in the Humanities: Perspectives from the Creative Arts / J. H. Kwabena Nketia -- The Humanities and National Identity -- The Humanities and the Idea of National Identity / Kwasi Wiredu -- Ghanaian Neo-traditional Performance and ‘Development’: Multiple Interfaces between Rural and Urban, Traditional and Modern / E. John Collins -- Kofi Awoonor: The Essays of a Humanist / Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò -- Sell, Borrow, Work or Migrate? Exploring the Choice of Coping Strategies in Ghana / Abena Oduro -- Language and Knowledge Production from Postcolonial Perspectives -- Scientific Decolonization and Language Use in the Study of African Medicine, Religion, and Art / Alexis B. Tengan -- Credibility and Accountability in Academic Discourse: Increasing the Awareness of Ghanaian Graduate Students / Gordon S. K. Adika -- About the English Language in Ghana Today and about Ghanaian English and Languaging in Ghana / Kari Dako -- Polylectal Description: Reflections on Experience in Ghana / M. E. Kropp Dakubu -- Afterwords -- Nii: A Recollection on Obits / James Gibbs -- Memories of Kofi Awoonor in Texas / Bernth Lindfors -- Mary Esther Kropp Dakubu: A Tribute / Helen Lauer -- Back Matter -- Index.