Sovereign Wisdom: Generating Native American Philosophy from Indigenous Cultures - Hardcover

by Jennifer Lisa Vest (Author)

This book proposes a methodology for formulating a sovereign field of Academic Native American Philosophy. In this groundbreaking metaphilosophical work, the author identifies several recurrent themes in Indigenous North American cultures and argues that such themes can form the foundation of a unique field of philosophy. Creatively drawing on a diverse collection of Native voices from a wide variety of disciplines such as philosophy, religion, literature and oratory, this innovative book promises to be a resource for philosophers and other scholars seeking to engage in discourses centering Native conceptual analyses.

"Dr. Vest has written a perceptive understandable study about the challenge to accept Native American philosophy and she explains thoroughly what it is. Written from the heart, she shares her insightful understandings of Native life and the complexities of tribal worldviews. If you want to know about Indians, this is a must read."

-Donald L. Fixico, Muscogee, Seminole, Shawnee, and Sac and Fox, and author of The American Indian Mind in a Linear World

"Jennifer Vest has produced the most comprehensive, compelling, and elegant treatise of Native American Philosophy that I have seen to date. Her treatise elevates the stature of Native American to its rightful place among world Philosophies. Her writing is full of the life and spirit of Indigenous thought. As such, it is a must read for all those interested in Philosophy, Native American, Ecological and Contemplative Studies."

-Gregory Cajete, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor, Native Studies and American Indian Education University of New Mexico

Author Biography

JENNIFER LISA VEST, Ph.D. (Mikasuki Seminole mixedblood) is a retired Associate Professor of Philosophy. She earned her bachelor's degree in Physics from Hampshire College, her Masters in History from Howard University, and her PhD in Ethnic Studies and Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley. She introduced Native American philosophy into the philosophy curriculum at two universities and has devoted decades to fighting for the inclusion of Native American and African philosophy in the canon. She has published articles and poetry in numerous journals and served on the Committee for the Status of American Indians in Philosophy for the American Philosphical Association for many years. She was also the Treasurer for the International Association for African Philosophy and Studies. She was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Seattle University and earned tenure in the Philosophy Department at the University of Central Florida before leaving Academia.