For thousands of years, storytelling has remained an integral part of human evolution, helping to make sense of our existence and environment. Stories have been told to educe deep and compelling effects for various purposes. Generally, people tell stories to persuade, convince, convict, exonerate, justify, comfort, clarify, or evaluate. Storytelling is furthermore a strong pedagogical tool that humans have employed for didactic purposes throughout the ages. So, what is the connection between storytelling and philosophy?

Storytelling has played a crucial role in philosophy and the articulation of philosophical perspectives from the beginning. Philosophers have used various forms of stories to express and communicate their ideas, these include narrative models such as dialogues and other forms of conversation, exemplary life stories, soliloquies and meditations, as well as short stories, anecdotes, parables, allegories, metaphors or the construction of hypothetical examples, to name but a few. Storytelling is thus a well-established practice of philosophizing and its usage can be found throughout the history of European philosophy. However, in regions with predominantly oral knowledge traditions, especially in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, storytelling remains to this day an especially vibrant practice of philosophizing.

The overarching goal of this summer school is to examine the nexuses and intersections of philosophy and storytelling as well as to explore good storytelling as a useful philosophical practice. The summer school will be led by international scholars from Africa, Dr. Abosede Ipadeola and Dr. Nikitta Adjirakor, who will engage philosophy and storytelling both theoretically and practically.