The action-oriented approach (renamed as the social action-oriented approach in this book) was first introduced by the Council of Europe (CoE) in its official document The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, 2001). This book aims to provide a detailed explanation of this approach in all its dimensions: its origins, how it has developed as a new methodology within its new didactic configuration, how to implement it in language textbooks and the classroom as well as the issue of designing social action-oriented curricula and programs. We believe this book will be a useful resource for curriculum developers, language textbook writers, researchers in the language teaching field, language teacher trainees, language teachers (K-12), and university students.

For the time being African philosophy is treated regularly in research and in teaching at two European scientific institutions: at the University of Vienna and at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In October 1993 there have been held two conferences of Western and African philosophers at both universities. Eleven African and nine Western scholars participated as speakers in these conferences. Four African speakers gave lectures at the Vienna and at the Rotterdam conference. The Vienna conference dealt with general questions of postcolonial philosophy in Africa. The conference at Rotterdam focused on the processes of democratization in African countries since 1989. This volume contains the papers of both conferences. En ce moment la philosophie Africaine est traité regulièrement dans les recherches et dans l'enseignement à deux instituts scientifiques Européens: à l'Université de Vienne et à l'Université Erasme de Rotterdam. En Octobre 1993 deux conférences de philosophes Occidentals et Africains ont été organisé aux deux universités. Onze savants Africans et neuf savants Occidentals ont participé à ces deux conférences. Quatre savants Africains ont présenté des communications à tous les deux conférences de Vienne et de Rotterdam. La conférence Viennoise s'occupait de questions générales de la philosophie postcoloniale en Afrique. La conférence de Rotterdam focusait aux procès de démocratisation dans des pays africains depuis 1989. Se trouvent en ce volume les contributions à les deux conférences.