Exploring Recent Themes in African Spiritual Philosophy

This theoretical paper examines shifts in African spiritual philosophy, contrasting traditional spirituality—centered on transcendence, supernaturalism, and practices like ritualism, ancestorism, and deities—with emerging themes of naturality and immanence, such as sacrality, piety, and existential gratitude. The authors argue that in African modernity, spirituality is increasingly understood through psychological traits expressed in attitudes and behaviors rather than through cultural or religious practices. Recent studies link spiritual experience to wholeness, interdependence, and recognition of one's place in the connective web of nature.

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Abstract

There are theoretical and thematic shifts in African spiritual philosophy literature on the meaning of spirituality. On the one hand, traditional conceptions of spirituality are based on the dimensions of transcendence and supernaturalism. Common themes include ritualism, totemism, incantation, ancestorism, reincarnation, destiny, metempsychosis, witchcraft, death, soul, deities, etc. On the other hand, the evolving trend appeals to naturality and immanence. Common themes include sacrality, piety, respectability, relatability, existential gratitude, sacred feminine, etc. This work explores these recent and developing themes. It aims to show that the understanding of spirituality in African modernity is increasingly linked to psychological traits expressed in attitude and behaviour as against traditional understanding that focused on cultural/ religious practices such as ritualism, ancestorism, and deities. The analysis reveals that recent studies link the experience of spirituality with wholeness and interdependence, and a recognition of one’s place in the connective web of other existents in nature