Theorizing Violence in African Literature, Politics and Philosophy

Recent history across much of the African continent is fraught with violent conflict, yet African philosophy is dominated with idealistic and normative humanist principles. This book addresses this seeming contraction by tracing incisive theorizations of violence, war and armed conflict through African thinking.

Normative philosophies such as Ubuntu are seen as reflecting the core moral and social characteristics of the entire African continent and its peoples. However, this book demonstrates that far from closing their eyes when faced with wars and genocides, thinkers across academia, fiction, and political discourse have theorized violence across a broad range of discourses, genres, and languages.

Covering various disciplines from African political philosophy and phenomenology, to literature, sociology, and decolonial studies, this book will be an important read for researchers looking to understand violence and armed conflict in Africa.