- 234 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
Public deliberation, highly valued by many African societies, becomes the cornerstone of a new system of African political philosophy in this brilliant, highly original study. In Deliberative Agency, philosopher Uchenna Okeja offers a way to construct a new political center by building it around the ubiquitous African practice of public deliberation, a widely accepted means to resolve legal matters, reconcile feuding groups, and reestablish harmony.
In cities, hometown associations and voluntary organizations carry out the task of fostering deliberation among African groups for different reasons. In some instances, the deliberation aims to settle disputes. In others, the aim is to decide the best action to take to address unfortunate incidents such as death.
Through a measured, comparative analysis, Deliberative Agency argues that the best way to reimagine and harness the idea of public deliberation, based on current experiences in Africa, is to see it as performance of agency. Building a new political center around the practice places agency at the core of a new political life in Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Defining the African Political Condition: The Paradigm of Political Failure
- 2. African Political Thought: Theory through Conceptual Retrieval
- 3. Normative Deficit: Toward a New Orientation in African Political Philosophy
- 4. Palaver and ConsensusâProvenance of a Conceptual Apparatus
- 5. Indigenous Political Concepts, Conceptual Loss, and Political Failure
- 6. Conceptual Creativity: An Approach to Political Philosophy Here and Now
- 7. Conceptualizing Political Philosophy through Conceptual Creativity
- 8. Deliberative Agency and Meaning in Politics
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author