Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2023 -

African Philosophy is one of the best commentaries on African philosophy that this reviewer has ever read. Mungwini (Univ. of South Africa) writes with both clarity and nuance. Readers unfamiliar with African philosophy will appreciate the introductions to major themes and concepts of the discipline. The most influential figures (and classic texts) are put in conversation with more recent interlocutors, thereby making the book a rich investigation of the reception history, trajectories, and nuances of African philosophy. For those already steeped in the discipline, African Philosophy helps concretize the unifying theme of emancipation within the discipline. In other words, Mungwini gives readers a hermeneutical key for understanding the emancipatory power of African philosophy. His work should be required reading for any student of African philosophy, Africana intellectual history, decolonial theory, or political theory. It will be most useful to those with questions regarding metaphilosophy, particularly the decolonization of knowledge and the practice of philosophy; universalism; cross-cultural discourse; and the very nature of philosophy.Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.

Beauty in African Thought exemplifies contemporary African philosophy and how philosophical rigor can shed light on profound concerns in everyday life. The editors and their contributors have done a remarkable job of bringing to the fore the aesthetics of life among African peoples, revealing that development transcends economic efficiency. The volume addresses notions of beauty broadly understood, holistic spirituality and religion, agency and meaning-making, interdependence, and community in contrast to the individualism of Western metaphysics and political philosophy. This collection will be valuable for those with interests in African culture and thought and the development of African nations in the present era. Scholars pursuing issues of global development and environmental sustainability or of human flourishing and justice will unquestionably benefit from this excellent collection.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.