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Although scholarship related to the general field that may be said to be covered by the term 'African Thought' is considerable, there is still abroad a strong prejudice concerning the capacity of African to engage in any form of intellectual activity. Because of this prejudice, the term itself would be considered an oxymoron in many circles. Yet, as the literature demonstrates, traditional (pre-colonial) African societies and cultures have produced not only elaborate systems of thought with deep foundations in religious ideas and cosmologies but the continent has also been home to a long tradition of discursive philosophy dating back at least to the early Middle Ages, with the work of St. Augustine of Hippo and the early philosophers in Ethiopia. Of equal significance is the fact that, since the 18th century, intellectuals of African origin have engaged in sustained reflection upon the implications for Africa and the black race in general of the harsh encounter between Africa and the West, the wide ranging political, social and cultural consequences of slavery and colonialism for people of African descent. This process, involving notably an effort of collective self-definition, has given rise to ideologies such as Pan-Africanism and Negritude which both represent significant currents of modern political thought. The Encyclopedia of African Thought contains almost 500 separate entries, a work that will be both an essential resource for teaching and an invaluable companion to independent study, a reliable guide to facts and features on African literature, and a solid guide for further study.