On the Kantian influence in African thought and the notion of trans-colonization

Abstract

This paper reviews Kant’s direct and indirect influences on modern African philosophy and contemporaneous thought, especially regarding colonization, modernization, decolonization and trans-colonization. The paper explores and evaluates the quest for Africanity and the carving a unique African identity through a relativist interpretation of the Kantian epistemic framework as well as his conflict theory of progress. The paper argues that this sort of approach, which is ensconced principally in the decoloniality project, is not justifiable on epistemic, moral and developmentarian (utility) grounds. The paper proposes transcolonization and heterosis, grounded in creativity, especially epistemic creativity, as a more justifiable and practically viable and developmentarian integration of modernity and Kantianism into the African experience.