Why Hountondji in Europe?: Metaphilosophical reflections

Taking its cue from Hountondji’s remarks on finding sources of philosophical inspiration in culturally distant contexts, this paper considers the enduring relevance of Hountondji’s project for the European philosopher. I argue that the metaphilosophical kernel of Hountondji’s work contains important lessons applicable to present debates within European and, more generally, Euro-American philosophy regarding philosophical decolonisation and the expansion of the canon. Challenging the still dominant interpretation of Hountondji’s understanding of philosophy as Eurocentric and overly narrow, I argue that Hountondji’s work actually provides a route for broadening our understanding of what constitutes philosophy without succumbing to colonial bias. For Hountondji, this depends upon cultivating the right attitude to what has been deemed “extra-philosophical” – one that neither presupposes nor denies its philosophical significance. This self-critical attitude animates Hountondji’s “early” as much as his “late” interventions; a subsidiary argument made in this paper is thus that there is a continuity traversing Hountondji’s philosophical work. However, the central aim is to examine and reflect on the significance of Hountondji’s view, demonstrating that his metaphilosophical vision continues to have profound ramifications not only for contemporary African philosophers but also for European philosophers like myself.