State of the Field: The History of African Political Thought

Abstract

This article surveys the scholarship surrounding the history of African political thought, which is a growing interdisciplinary area of study. The study of the history of political thought has a long tradition but has tended to be Eurocentric, with limited reference to the Global South. Recent decades have seen moves to correct this, with more research being given over to African political thought, both ancient and modern. This article explores the plethora of discussions, which are happening in the field, including how the subject is defined, the impact of theories of decolonisation and the relationship between African thought and ideas from elsewhere in the world. In doing this it, also notes where there is scope for further research to be done.