Generative Contradictions:
Logic, Language, and Philosophizing in isiZulu
Interview with Lindokuhle Shabane
Language of the Interview: English
Conducted by Monika Rohmer
Posted on
In conversation with Monika Rohmer, research fellow Lindokuhle Shabane discusses his doctoral research, his approach to conceptual decolonization, and his current work on philosophizing in isiZulu.
Shabane’s dissertation examines the role of logical contradiction in the history of African philosophy. He argues that the law of contradiction – introduced into African thought systems by European logicians and anthropologists in the early eighteenth century – has functioned not merely as a logical constraint but as the very condition of possibility for African philosophy as a disciplinary field.
This generative dynamic, he contends, produces what he calls “ambivalent knowledge”: a mode of inquiry that simultaneously seeks entry into the universal philosophical canon and resists the Western frameworks that constitute it.
On the topic of decolonization, Shabane traces philosophy’s historical complicity in rationalizing the enslavement of Africans, noting that leading European philosophers provided discursive justifications that operated in a bilateral feedback loop with plantation practices. Decolonizing philosophy, he argues, requires interrogating the very concept of philosophy itself, including the question of who has historically been recognized as a philosopher.
Shabane’s broader interest in the history of African philosophy also led him to write an intellectual biography of the Nigerian philosopher Jonathan Okeke Chimakonam, whose work he regards as one of the most radical contributions to the question of what makes African philosophy distinctively African. Rather than grounding the Africanness of philosophy in geography, race, or culture, Chimakonam argues that it is the use of a homegrown African logic that defines African philosophical practice – a position Shabane finds provocative, though not one he fully endorses.
At the center of Shabane’s current fellowship is the language focus on Philosophizing in isiZulu. Inspired by the work of Ghanaian philosopher Kwasi Wiredu, Shabane explores what new philosophical insights emerge when concepts are thought through indigenous languages rather than inherited European ones. He demonstrates, for instance, that isiZulu terms for “respect” and “charity” carry metaphysical assumptions fundamentally distinct from their English counterparts, opening avenues of inquiry unavailable in translation.
Shabane also identifies rich but underutilized sources for isiZulu philosophy. These include nineteenth-century texts such as William Ngidi’s critical theological exchanges with Bishop Colenso, the records of the Natal Native Commission, and oral traditions including praise poems (izibongo), proverbs, and riddle questions (imfitha batala). He emphasizes the need for creative engagement with archival and oral sources – reading “against the grain” to recover philosophical substance from materials not originally collected for that purpose.
Questions asked in the interview:
- Could you tell us about your research on logical contradiction in African philosophy?
- In which way would you say was European philosophy complicit in colonization and what does it mean to decolonize philosophy?
- How did you get interested in the thought of Jonathan Okeke Chimakonam?
- During your fellowship so far, have you experienced polylogical encounters that led to new insights?
- Which role did the language isiZulu play in your philosophical education so far?
- What kind of sources in isiZulu are you engaging with and can you recommend a specific work for others?
- What kind of philosophical practices could we find in isiZulu culture?