Reading Ricur from the Periphery: Decolonization, Modernity, Hermeneutics

Ernst Wolff offers an original perspective on Paul Ricœur’s philosophy by situating it in the context of his early socio-political commitments. 

The book refutes the common view of this philosophy as an abstract scholarly practice, born in reaction to modernity and secularization, and sets out to reconstruct Ricœur’s involvement in his own time, in the face of the major issues of (de)colonization, geopolitics, modernity, globalization, cultural pluralism and political activism. The book reveals how these concerns influenced Ricœur’s vision of hermeneutics and his philosophical trajectory. Ricœur’s plea for a multipolar world and for the equality of cultural traditions, together with his anti-Eurocentric academic practices are fully explored for the first time. Ricœur’s work is explored not only on his own terms, but also in the light of social scientific research. Moreover, in order to grasp its full implications, Ricoeur’s thinking is compared to that of his African contemporaries.

This is a nuanced and meticulous work that highlights the surprising topicality of Ricœur’s thought and challenges the reader’s views on the nature and possibilities of philosophy.

Ernst Wolff, KU Leuven, Belgium.