Lectures
Our lectures bring together leading scholars and emerging voices to present current research in global and intercultural philosophy. Topics range from African, Latin American and Asian philosophical traditions to comparative and historical inquiries into the nature of philosophical practice. These events are central to GloPhi’s mission of fostering intellectual exchange and advancing the study of philosophy in global perspective.
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This talk explores the relation of wutum xam-xam (the quest for knowledge) and the practice of writing Wolof. Wolof is the contemporary lingua franca of Senegal, which is officially a Francophone country. The presentation introduces…
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In einer Welt, die immer stärker durch globale Verflechtungen, kulturelle Übersetzungsprozesse und vielfältige Wissensformen geprägt ist, steht auch die Philosophie vor der Aufgabe, ihre eigenen Voraussetzungen kritisch zu befragen.Um Orientierung in einer globalisierten Welt bieten…
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Die Philosophie hat es sich seit jeher zur Aufgabe gemacht, scheinbar selbstverständliche Ideen, Weltdeutungen und Begriffe in Frage zu stellen, neu zu begründen – oder sie zu verwerfen und Alternativen zu entwickeln. Infolge der kolonialen…
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In this lecture, Prof. Bado Ndoye offers a critical reflection on the historical, political, and epistemic dimensions of philosophy teaching in postcolonial Senegal. Tracing the persistence of French curricular models and the dominance of Marxist…
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The African continent was often denied recognition as the home of philosophical schools, traditions or concepts – in part because African languages were considered too underdeveloped to form abstract concepts or grasp complex relationships. This…
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The purpose of the lecture is to explore the linguistic politics of Ethiopian philosophy through the examination of the ways in which philosophical inquiry developed in the three primary languages of Ge’ez, Amharic and English.…
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Double Lecture on Alexis Kagame’s Philosophy Chantal Gishoma (Bayreuth University)Vedaste Kayisabe (Catholic Seminary Kabgayi, Rwanda) July 3, 2025, 2:15 pm (CEST)Cultural Campus, Aula & Live Stream Part of the Lecture […]
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Yoruba is the language and culture of a people primarily found in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cuba, and Brazil. Their philosophical ideas prominently feature in their culture, language, and traditions. In this lecture, I…
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Philosophical inquiry, according to Kwasi Wiredu, must be both genetic and analytic. A genetic approach to philosophy is primarily concerned with the origin and existence of fundamental concepts and categories of thought, while an analytic…
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Simphiwe Sesanti’s lecture, “Teaching Ancient Egyptian Philosophy: A Decolonising and Re-Africanisation Act,” addresses the critical need to reclaim ancient Egyptian philosophy within the philosophy of education in Africa. Sesanti argues that despite the introduction of…
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Egypt has laid the foundations of human civilization; everything originated there, including philosophy. As one of the oldest written cultures, Egypt provides the earliest evidence of philosophical thought. However, we lack a definition or introduction…
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In his lecture on the “History of the Kenyan Philosophy Journal Thought and Practice,” Oriare Nyarwath provides an insightful overview of the inception, evolution, and impact of the journal within the African philosophical landscape. Thought…
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Wrestling refers both to a physical activity and to the cognitive endeavour of wrestling with a problem or a difficulty. Philosophical texts in Wolof can be read from different angles. In this lecture, I take mbër, the…
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Abraham Olivier, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Fort Hare, delivered a critical and reflective lecture on the history, role, and controversies surrounding the South African Journal of Philosophy (SJP) and its host, the Philosophical Society of Southern Africa (PSSA).…
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For most of the twentieth century, the debate about the production of knowledge in Africa centered on the colonial library and writings in European languages. There was little acknowledgment that a whole world of debate…
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The GloPhi Center will host a poetry reading and discussion with the Nigerian poet Logan February. The event will take place at the outdoor seminary room of the Institute of Philosophy at the Cultural Campus…
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This collaborative lecture – between an esteemed Swahili poet and a German anthropologist/philosopher – shall introduce the audience to the ways in which philosophical reflections have long been part of the vivid dynamic lifeworlds on…
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In this lecture, delivered at the international workshop “Places of African Philosophies,” Romuald Fonkoua presents a comprehensive intellectual history of the influential journal and publishing house Présence Africaine, founded in 1947 by Alioune Diop. Fonkoua organizes his…
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In many areas of philosophy today, English appears to have become the dominant language. This obscures the fact that philosophy continues to be practiced in a variety of languages around the world. This lecture argues…
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Philosophy, as a human inclination, is as old as human beings on Mother Earth. It is thus pluriversal. As an academic discipline, it remains a contested terrain, especially since colonization by the West and the…
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The mutual influence of language and philosophizing has been a topic of debate for centuries. Do languages determine how we think? Do certain languages suggest certain thought constellations? Is translation a universal language? To this…
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As part of her seminar “Philosophical Debate Culture: Past and Present, Theory and Praxis,” Professor Katrin Wille (Associate Member and Professor of Philosophy) recently organized a public debate event in collaboration with students at the Center for…



