Contents
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Writing influential accounts of identity, cosmopolitanism and obligations across cultural boundaries.
In My Father’s House · The Ethics of Identity
- Born
- 8 May 1954
- Birthplace
- London, United Kingdom
More people
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Kwame Anthony Appiah is a philosopher and writer raised in Ghana. His work examines race, identity and how people with different commitments can share a world.
Early life
Ghanaian upbringing
Was born in London and grew up in Kumasi, Ghana.
Cambridge studies
Studied philosophy at Clare College, Cambridge, where he also completed his doctorate.
Career
- 1980s–1990s
Academic career
Taught philosophy and African-American studies at universities including Yale and Harvard.
- 2002–2014
Princeton
Held a professorship in philosophy and developed books on ethics and identity.
- 2014 onward
New York University
Joined NYU’s philosophy and law faculties while continuing public writing.
Selected work
In My Father’s House
Examined African identity, culture and intellectual history.
The Ethics of Identity
Explored individuality and the moral claims attached to social identities.
Cosmopolitanism
Argued for obligations to others alongside respect for human differences.
Beyond work
Public ethics
Writes The Ethicist column, discussing readers’ moral dilemmas.
Fiction
Has also published novels, including Avenging Angel and Another Death in Venice.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional source ↗Photo: Fronteiras do Pensamento. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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