IS THERE A DISTINCTIVELY AFRICAN WAY OF KNOWING?
A Study of African Blacksmiths, Hunters, Healers, Griots, Elders, and Artists; Knowing and Theory of Knowledge in the African Experience

“In some ways this book is an invitation. It invites the reader into the inner sanctum of the field of philosophy, to listen to major scholars engage the central issues in that domain. Yet, the book also invites reflection on the patterns of scholarly production more broadly, throughout the academy as well as in communities of practice…he argues for a new paradigm for conceptualizing African epistemology.”
-James A. Pritchett,
President of the African Studies Association,
Professor of Anthropology, Michigan State University

“An exceedingly useful contribution to western scholarship regarding indigenous African thought.”
-Professor James G. Shoopman,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

“The strengths of the book include its unique approach to an understanding of African epistemology…the topic is of key interest, culturally, historically, and educationally to a wide readership.”
-Professor Lynenette Porter,
Humanities and Social Sciences Department,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Foreword by James Pritchett
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Endogenous African Knowledge Systems in Historical and Cultural Contexts
The Knowledge System of Blacksmiths
The Knowledge System of Hunters
The Knowledge System of Healers
The Knowledge System of Griots
The Knowledge System of Elders
The Knowledge System of Artists
The Knowledge System of Musicians
Of African Epistemology
Epistemological Contextualization of Endogenous Knowledge Systems
Gnosis and Episteme: The meaning of Knowing in African Systems
Transformative Education in Twenty-First-Century Africa
Utilitarian Knowledge Management Toward a New Paradigm for Researching Knowledge and Substantializing African Epistemology
Conclusion
Notes and References
Illustrations
Selected Bibliography
Index