Monika Brodnicka, PhD

Dr. Brodnicka comes to SIT with experience teaching in large research universities and small liberal arts colleges in the United States, mainly The Ohio State University and Regis University. She received her PhD in philosophy, interpretation, and culture from SUNY Binghamton, with a specialization in African studies and a DEA (postmaster’s degree) in African philosophy and Islam from Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal. She is a founding member of The Dakar Institute of African Studies. She was awarded two Fulbright scholarships to study African spirituality in Serer, Bamana, Fulani, and Dagara traditions and continues to pursue research in those areas. Her monograph on the metaphysical dimension of West African traditional religions entitled, “Living Tradition: Mystical Perception of Identity, Community, and Environment in West African Religions,” addresses the fundamental aspects of this research. Dr. Brodnicka has also published articles, encyclopedia entries, and reviews in journals such as Journal of Religion in Africa, West Africa Review, Journal on African Philosophy, The Encyclopedia of Empire, and Contemporary French Civilization. Her most recent publications address mystical dimensions in African religions in countries such as Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Courses Taught

Rethinking Global Security: Religious Pluralism and Politics in Senegal
Senegal: Colonialism, the State and Society
Independent Study Project
Internship and Seminar

Select Publications

Brodnicka, M. (2021). “Creolizing the creolized through Amadou Hampaté Bâ’s living tradition,” Philosophy and Global Affairs, 1(2), 361-369 DOI: 10.5840/pga202192822

Brodnicka, M. (2020). “The Ambiguous Path to Sacred Personhood: revisiting Ambiguous Adventure from the perspective of living tradition,” Journal of World Philosophies, 5(Winter), 13-27.

Brodnicka, M. (2017). “Speech that Takes on Body and Shape: The World as Manifestation of Spirit in West African Religions,” Journal of Religion in Africa, 47(3), 311-345.

Brodnicka, M. (2016). “Iterations of the Divine: The Pursuit of Sacred Personhood in West African Spirituality,” Journal of Academic Perspectives, 4, 1-20.

Select Presentations

“Un dialogue de l’unité à travers la diversité dans la pensée œcuménique d’Amadou Hampaté Bâ,” Gingembre Littéraire 3eme édition, “Dialogue des cultures et des religions,” Mbour, Sénégal 12/2021

“Amadou Hampaté Bâ and the Living Tradition,” Colloque International: Amadou Hampâté Bâ: trente (30) ans déjà, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 9/2021

“The deliberate power of speech: Amadou Hampaté Ba and the Hands that Have Ears,” Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA) conference, St. Croix, 4/2020 (cancelled)

“Decolonizing African Religions: The Synergistic Metaphysics of Senghor, Bâ, and Hama,” Caribbean Philosophical Association conference, Providence, Rhode Island 6/2019

“The Living Tradition: A Perspective on African Philosophy,” Caribbean Philosophical Association, Dakar, Senegal 06/2018

“The Ambiguous Path to Sacred Personhood,” Colloque International en Hommage au Professeur Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Société Sénégalaise de Philosophie (SOSEPHI), Dakar, Senegal 12/2017      

“Mapping Kaidara’s Mystical Path: The Tale of Initiation as a Mirror of Fulani Metaphysics,” African Studies Association Conference, Chicago, IL 11/2017

“Amadou Hampaté Bâ and the Call to Indigenous Metaphysics,” International Symposium “Presence Africaine: Towards New Political and Cultural Perspectives,” Tokyo, Japan, 8/2017 “Mysticism in African Philosophy,” The Dakar Institute of African Studies Symposium, Dakar, Senegal 7/2017

Research Interests

West African religions, literature, and philosophy
Sufism and indigenous traditions in West Africa


Education

  • PhD in philosophy, interpretation, and culture, SUNY Binghamton
  • DEA in African philosophy and Islam, Université Cheikh Anta Diop
Monika Brodnicka, PhD