ABSTRACT
In chapter 4, Afolayan interrogates the larger question of the global epistemological hegemony within which the Nigerian philosophers have been operating as a matter of historical compulsion, as well as the global academe that they must operate as a matter of intellectual necessity. Even in the pursuit of indigenous and local relevance, the global academe is an inevitable intellectual engagement. However, the challenge is that of maneuvering through the critical landmines of the global epistemological environment. This involves deploying these epistemological paradigms, ideas and models without neglecting the peculiarities of the local context of philosophizing. In mediating the dynamics between the Western epistemology and popular epistemologies, the chapter argues that challenge for Nigerian philosophers is to adopt the imperatives of decolonization that enable them to “Africanize” knowledge and knowledge production in a manner that permits the exploration of popular epistemologies for the understanding of a philosophy that is sensitive to the Nigerian context and condition.
