African metaphysics: recovery towards an alternative modernity?

Abstract

In this thesis, it is argued that the age of modernity, which was initially a Western development, has not only found its way to the global stage and reached its climax, but that there now exists a dire need for an alternative conception of being-in-the-world. As such, it is proposed that traditional African thought, particularly as found in pre-colonial metaphysics, can contribute to the contemporary idea of alternative modernities. Other themes discussed include the decline of metaphysics in Western thought, the effects of colonialism on African thought, and the general disenchantment of the world.