__________________________________________________
Table of Contents "Philosophising in Mombasa: Knowledge, Islam and Intellectual Practice on the Swahili Coast" by Kai Kresse Edinburgh 2007 __________________________________________________ "Philosophising in Mombasa" provides an approach to the anthropological study of philosophical discourses in the Swahili context of Mombasa, Kenya. In this historically established Muslim environment, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, philosophy is investigated as social discourse and intellectual practice, situated in everyday life. This is done from the perspective of an anthropology of philosophy, a project which is spelled out in the opening chapter. Entry-points and guidelines for the ethnography are provided by discussions of Swahili literary genres, life histories, and social debates. From here, local discourses of knowledge are described and analysed. The social environment and discursive dynamics of the Old Town are portrayed, firstly, by means of following and contextualising informal discussions among neighbours and friends at daily meeting points in the streets; and secondly, by presenting and discussing in-depth case studies of local intellectuals and their contributions to moral and intellectual debates within the community. Taking recurrent internal discussions on social affairs, politics, and appropriate Islamic conduct as a focus, this study sheds light on local practices of critique and reflection. In particular, three local intellectuals (two poets, one Islamic scholar) are portrayed against the background of regional intellectual history, Islamic scholarship, as well as common public debates and private discussions. The three contextual portrayals discuss exemplary issues for the wider field of research on philosophical discourse in Mombasa and the Swahili context on the whole, with reference to the lives and projects of distinct individual thinkers. Ultimately, the study directs attention beyond the regional and the African contexts, towards the anthropological study of knowledge and intellectual practice around the world. Kai Kresse: Philosophising in Mombasa: Knowledge, Islam and Intellectual Practice on the Swahili Coast Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. 288 pages ISBN 978-0-7486-2786-8 Online: http://www.eup.ed.ac.uk/edition_details.aspx?id=12728 Table of Contents PROLOGUE Approaching philosophical discourse in the Swahili context PART ONE Coordinates: theory, ethnography, history CHAPTER 1 Towards an anthropology of philosophy The ethnography of critical discourse and intellectual practice in Africa CHAPTER 2 The Swahili context Mombasa, the Old Town, and Kibokoni CHAPTER 3 A neighbourhood of thinkers Knowledge, discourse, and East African Islam PART TWO Contextual portrayals of local intellectuals CHAPTER 4 Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany Swahili poetry and the conservation of cultural knowledge CHAPTER 5 Ahmad Nassir's poetical moral theory Utu: how human beings ought to behave CHAPTER 6 The Ramadhan lectures of Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir The social critique of a politically minded Islamic scholar PART THREE Reconsidering ethnography, reconsidering theory CHAPTER 7 Counterpoints and continuities: the younger generation Intergenerational idioms: experience and perspectives EPILOGUE Approach and findings, conclusions and perspectives Bibliography Appendices Appendix 1 Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany, Utendi wa baraza ya Iddul-l-Fitr Appendix 2 Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir, Ramadhan lecture, 26th December 1998 (excerpt); Kiswahili original and English translation Website: http://www.eup.ed.ac.uk/edition_details.aspx?id=12728 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
