AFRICAN ONTOLOGY AND RACISM IN MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’SPHILOSOPHY: PANACEA TO THE CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARYRACISM IN AFRICA
Keywords:
African ontology, racism, Beloved Community, nonviolence, Afro-centrismAbstract
Since the Second World War, racism has been conceptualized as an irrational prejudice according to which other groups are considered inferior on the basis of biological-racial characteristics. However, racism is not a personality disorder but a political, social, and institutional phenomenon expressed in both public and private spheres for exclusive purposes. In African ontology, hierarchy and exclusion are not instrumental paradigms; rather, interconnectedness, community, and holistic understanding of being are emphasized. Yet, with historical ideological constructions and changing economic-political conditions, racism has arisen within African social institutions. This work examines how Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy, grounded in Afro-centric ontological principles, addresses contemporary racism in Africa. Using a qualitative, philosophical analysis of King’s texts, the study identifies his "Beloved Community," Six Principles of Nonviolence, and Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change as instruments for peaceful society. The findings indicate that King’s emphasis on Agape love, restorative justice, and community-centrism aligns with African ontology and offers a framework for decolonizing knowledge and promoting inclusivity. The study concludes that embracing King’s Afro-centric ontological instruments can work toward a more equitable society that values diversity and social justice.
References
Barker, M. (1981). The new racism. Junction Books.
Bulmer, M., &Solomos, J. (Eds.). (1999). Racism. Oxford University Press.
Clayborne, C. (1992). The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Warner Books.
Downing, F. L. (2006). To See the Promised Land: The Faith Pilgrimage of Luther.Macom, Ga: Mercer University Press
Essed, P. (1991). Understanding everyday racism. Sage.
Freedman, R. (2006). Freedom walkers: The story of the Montgomery bus boycott. Holiday House.
Goldberg, D. T. (1993). Racist culture, philosophy and the politics of meaning. Blackwell.
Hall, S. (1991a). Nieuweetniciteiten [New ethnicities]. In S. Hall, Het minimalezelfenandereopstellen [The minimal self and other essays] (pp. 171–180). SUA.
Hall, S. (1992b). The question of cultural identity. In S. Hall, D. Held, & T. McGrew (Eds.), Modernity and its futures (pp. 273–326). Polity Press.
Hannaford, I. (1996). Race: The History of the Idea in the West. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press/Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Kwame Gyekye. (1995). An essay on African philosophical thought: The Akan conceptual scheme (Rev. ed.). Temple University Press.
King, M. L. Jr. (1958). Stride toward freedom: The Montgomery story. Harper.
King, M. L. Jr. (1963). Strength to love. Harper & Row.
King, M. L. Jr. (1967). Where do we go from here: Chaos or community? Beacon Press.
Mbiti, John S. (1990). African religions and philosophy (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
Menkiti, Ifeanyi A. (1984). In R. A. Wright (Ed.), African philosophy: An introduction. University Press of America
Miles, R. (1993b). Racism after 'race relations'. Routledge.
Montagu, A. (Ed.). (1963). Statement on race. Oxford University Press.
Rieder, J. (2008). The word of the Lord is upon me: The righteous performance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Harvard University Press.
Shipman, P. (1994). The evolution of racism, human differences and the use and abuse of science. Simon and Schuster.
UNESCO. (1950). Statement on race by social scientists. In A. Montagu (Ed.), Statement on race (p. 172). Oxford University Press.
Wilson, C. A. (1996). Racism: From slavery to advanced capitalism. Sage Publications
Wood, P. H. (1995). 'If toads could speak': How the myth of race took hold and flourished in the minds of Europe's Renaissance colonisers. In B. P. Bowser (Ed.), Racism and anti-racism in world perspective (pp. 27–45). Sage Publications
