Philosophising in Wolof: Beyond Translation 

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new article by our team member Monika Christine Rohmer in the journal Phronimon (Volume 26, 2025).

This article examines academic endeavors that philosophize in Wolof, tracing a rich intellectual lineage from Cheikh Anta Diop to Souleymane Bachir Diagne. Through contextual analysis of key texts, Dr. Rohmer explores how questions of translation and multilingualism are fundamentally linked to the definition of philosophy itself.

Rohmer discusses Wolof notions proposed for core philosophical concepts including philosophy, epistemology, knowledge, and thinking. By highlighting continuities and discontinuities in philosophical terminology, it illuminates the broader implications of translating philosophical concepts into African indigenous languages.

This work makes important debates in Senegalese philosophy accessible to non-Wolophone readers and provides a methodological template for examining philosophical translations across African indigenous languages more broadly.

To access the article, please follow this link.