Associate Professor of Philosophy A. Todd Franklin chaired a roundtable discussion, “Fragmented Communities: One History, Several Memories,” at a UNESCO conference titled “Philosophical Dialogue between Africa and the Americas” held April 18-21 at Purdue University.
The conference drew together African philosophers and philosophers of African descent from around the world. It served as the focal point of UNESCO’s efforts to build intellectual bridges between Africa and its Diaspora within the framework of the United Nations’ declaration of 2011 as “The International Year for the People of African Descent.”
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. According to the UNESCO website, the organization’s goal is to “create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared value” in order for the world to “achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty.”
