ABSTRACT
African philosophy, comprising of ethno-philosophy, professional philosophy, nationalist-ideological philosophy, philosophic sagacity and their contemporary variants, is said to have begun as an account of contradiction and denial of Western-imposed identity. This chapter attempts to resolve the paradox of the overarching disconnect between the tenets of African philosophy and the practice of marginalization of women in contemporary Africa and within African philosophy. It also analyzes gender consciousness and inclusion vis-a-vis the pre-colonial Yoruba African world-view. The chapter employs the logical tool of hypothetical syllogism that if African philosophy is based on African world-views of complementarity, inclusion, being-with-others; then external (colonial) influence on the thought and socialization process is responsible for contemporary marginalization of women. The chapter also discusses the validity, truth and soundness of each premise of the hypothetical syllogism argument through the hermeneutic analysis of the pre-colonial Yoruba African world-view.
