Henry Odera Oruka was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century African philosophy. During the early years of the decolonization of African countries, as universities worked to redefine themselves, Odera drove changes to curricula and research. A tireless advocate for democracy and human rights in Africa, he repeatedly intervened in the political debates of his time.
This is the first critical biography of both the man himself and African philosophy in the context of changing times, taking us through his early life, scholarly training, and Oruka's way of transforming the field of philosophy as it was taught in Kenya.
The narrative unfolds from the personal to the global, from Africa to the world, and from African philosophy to the wider field of philosophy. Biographical material is woven with narratives of the social conditions and live questions as they arise in Oruka's life in Kenya, Sweden, and the United States. We are introduced to his understanding of philosophy as a critique of society. Exposing prison practices in Africa and targeting capitalists, Oruka sought to remedy social problems on a global scale, from institutional racism and ethnic division to the wealth gap between rich and poor nations.
Through archival material, personal interviews and primary texts, this book shines a light on Oruka's monumental contribution to African philosophy and global justice. Finally we can see how Oruka's insights are still relevant to how we think about poverty, philosophy and human rights today.
El-Bizri, Nader: - Nader El-Bizri is Professor of Civilization Studies & Philosophy at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Kalmanson, Leah: - Leah Kalmanson is Associate Professor and Bhagwan Adinath Professor of Jain Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas, USA.
Kirloskar-Steinbach, Monika: -
Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach is Professor of Philosophy at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands and the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of World Philosophies.
Madaio, James: - James Madaio is Research Fellow in the Oriental Institute at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia, Lecturer in the Asian Studies Department at Charles University, Czech Republic, and Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, UK. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Hindu Studies and Regional Editor (Indic Traditions) for the Bloomsbury Introductions to World Philosophies.
Morisato, Takeshi: - Takeshi Morisato is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Japanese Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium, and the editor of the European Journal of Japanese Philosophy (EJJP).
Mungwini, Pascah: - Pascah Mungwini is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology at the University of South Africa, South Africa.
Pang-White, Ann A.: - Ann A. Pang-White is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Asian Studies at The University of Scranton, USA. She is the editor of the Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender (2016), editor and translator of The Confucian Four Books for Women (2018), and the author of many articles on Chinese and comparative philosophy as well as ancient and medieval philosophy.
Perina, Mickaella: - Mickaella Perina is Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of Massachusetts Boston, USA.
Presbey, Gail M.: - Gail Presbey is Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Faculty in History at the University of Detroit Mercy, USA.
Rivera, Omar: - Omar Rivera is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, USA.
Stewart, Georgina: - Georgina Stewart is Associate Professor at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.
