African Philosophy of Mind and the Challenge of Consciousness Studies: Towards an Igbo-Informed Framework

This study develops an Igbo-informed African philosophy of mind framework and assesses its contribution to contemporary consciousness studies, addressing a significant gap created by the near-total absence of African philosophical perspectives in a field dominated by Western analytic and phenomenological approaches. Consciousness studies is among the most dynamic and contested fields in contemporary philosophy of mind, yet the diverse accounts of mind, selfhood, and awareness embedded in African philosophical traditions have been largely ignored. A philosophical analytical and comparative design is employed, combining systematic analysis of leading consciousness theories from David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, and Francisco Varela with deep engagement with Igbo philosophical anthropology through the oral traditions, the works of Chukwuemeka Eze, and interviews with 30 Igbo philosophical scholars and traditional knowledge holders in Enugu and Anambra States. Secondary African philosophy literature published between 2019 and 2024 supplements the primary data. Findings reveal that Igbo philosophy of mind, centred on the relational triad of mmuo (spirit), ahu (body), and chi (personal spiritual essence), provides a distinctive and philosophically coherent account of consciousness as irreducibly relational and communally constituted, challenging the individualist assumptions of dominant Western consciousness theories. The study contributes an original Igbo philosophical framework to the consciousness studies literature. Keywords: African philosophy of mind, consciousness, Igbo philosophy, chi, relational ontology.