Van Niekerk, Jason2016-03-102016-03-102015Van Niekerk, J 2015, 'The analytic appeal of African philosophy', South African Journal of Philosophy, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 516-525.0258-0136 (print)2073-4867 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/51769In rejecting ‘Analytic’ as a term effectively without content, Spurrett’s reasoning would likely be approved of by logical positivists.Contemporary African philosophy ranges over a number of debates, positions, and theoretical traditions. It can, however, be read as its own critical tradition of hard-won methodological refinements and substantive philosophical debates common to a body of philosophical work concerned with African philosophical resources elided by coloniality and postcoloniality. In this paper I argue for an account of Analytic philosophy as a style of philosophy, and trace a congruous approach in history of African philosophy, suggesting that these should not be characterised as antagonistic. I conclude by contrasting this style of philosophy with positions drawn from the work of Mogobe Ramose, arguing that the Analytic approach captures a set of questions worth pursuing in engagements with Ramose’s work.en© South African Journal of PhilosophyAnalytic philosophyAfrican philosophyMogobe RamoseContemporary African philosophyArticle