In ten essays by African, European and American scholars, African philosopy as cultural inquiry examines the role of African philosophy at the opening of the new millennium. Here philosophy cuts across disciplinary boundaries to embrace ideas taken from history, literary studies, anthropology, and art. Addressing topics such as the progress of philosophical discourse, knowledge and modes of thought, the relevance of philosophy to cultures and individuals in the process of modernization, this volume presents the best contemporary thinking about concerns and practices that constitute contemporary African experience. Views about personhood, freedom, responsibility, progress, development, the role of the state, and life in civil society emerge from these considerations of the crisis of the post-colonial African state. This book presents a view of how philosophical questions can be applied to interpretations of culture and reveals the multifaceted nature of philosophical discourse in the multiple and variable settings that exist in contemporary Africa.