ALAFI was founded in 2018, during the IV USP Oriental Philosophy Conference, by students and professors involved in organizing the event and members of the Study Group on Oriental and Intercultural Thought, along with Latin American members of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy. Its foundation was inspired by the participation in the event of Prof. Dr. Ram Adhar Mall, founder of the Vienna Society for Intercultural Philosophy, Gesellschaft Interkultureller Philosophie (GIP), who offered a course on intercultural philosophy during the event and delivered the opening lecture. Prof. Mall even witnessed and supported the association's founding and can be considered its patron.

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Since then, the Association has developed a series of projects aimed at disseminating a pluralistic, cosmopolitan, and inclusive conception of philosophy, including: the organization of a monthly seminar on intercultural philosophy, in which we invite researchers of all levels of training to speak on topics related to an intercultural approach to philosophy; The organization of the ALAFI International Congress of Intercultural Philosophy, a biennial event that brings together researchers from around the world, especially from Latin America, to present, discuss, and learn about research that promotes the study of philosophy beyond European philosophical traditions, fostering intercultural study and dialogue between different philosophical traditions worldwide; the partnership with the Online Dictionary of Intercultural Philosophy, edited by Prof. Dr. Thorsten Botz-Bornstein (who gave the closing lecture at the 1st ALAFI International Congress of Intercultural Philosophy), to encourage the production of entries for the dictionary, especially with versions in Latin languages, contributing to the editing and revision of these entries.

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Furthermore, the association promotes, in partnership with the Study Group on Oriental and Intercultural Thought (which, after the association's founding, became affiliated with it), the joint study, open to all interested parties, of works that propose or are central to an intercultural conception of philosophy. Finally, TARKA: Journal of Intercultural Philosophy aims to promote the publication of articles, translations, reviews, and debates that have an intercultural perspective on philosophy at their core. Currently, the Association has more than 100 members from all parts of the world, especially Latin America, and continues to grow, always disseminating its activities and the activities of other associations, institutions, and collectives that promote an intercultural vision of philosophy.