AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY, GLOBALIZATION AND THE PRIORITY OF ‘OTHERNESS’

Abstract

The question of the otherness within the parameters of African philosophy oscillates between the concerns of personal identity and alterity. Personal identity deals with the philosophical questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being persons. A cursory glance at the historical evolution of philosophy, reveals that it has been discussed since the origins of Western thought, and most major figures have had something to say about it. It is a quest that embodies the value of the first principle of being, which states that every being is determined in itself, is one with itself and is consistent with itself. This notwithstanding, the question of otherness focuses on the relationship between the self and the other. Since this is a study within the scope of African philosophy, Igwebuike is employed as an African philosophical framework and an indigenous wholistic category to respond to the question of otherness. In the collection and analysis of data, the phenomenological method of inquiry was employed. This research submits that a person, although a separate and separated entity or individual, constitutes part of a complete whole- a diversity of being one with the other, and that the actualization of being is realized in recognizing and relating with the other. The researcher believes that an understanding and appreciation of the African conceptualization of the “I and other” relationship would advance a better human relationship, boost national unity and enhance dialogue between people of diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and thus, reduce violence linked to alterities.