Afrocentricity definition of afrocentricity by medical. This book, along with the afrocentric idea asante, 1987 and kemet, afrocentricity and knowledge asante, 1990, introduced fundamental referential changes in the african community. Afrocentric definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The sixteen essays examine a wide range of variations on the afrocentric paradigm in the areas. After the second edition of the afrocentric idea was released in 1998, asante appeared on a number of television programs such as the today show, 60 minutes, and the macneillehrer news hour to discuss the idea. Professor, founder, and author molefi kete asante was born on august 14, 1942 in valdosta, georgia to arthur lee and lillie b. Afrocentricity afrocentricity afrocentricity is the critical analysis and interpretation of culture, economy, history, language, philosophy, politics, and society from a conceptual, methodological. Whether one is an africanamerican or a yoruba, differences in history and experience aside, the values and beliefs conform ultimately to this system. It also looks at afrocentrism in terms of eurocentrism, afrocentric social theory, and afrocentric social science. However, i must comment that this is my limited perspective, and i by no means intend to say that this is the way it is.
Molefi kete asante is an africanamerican professor and philosopher. For asante, afrocentricity is a way of life that will manifest itself in every aspect of life. Like his previous works, this is a profound statement of the afrocentric perspective. The editor of this collection argues that as scholars embark upon the 21st century, they can no longer be myopic in their perceptions and analyses of race. Then, it dawned upon him, if we black people had to define speech, our. The paper offers a chronology of the developing dialogue among intellectuals about afrocentric research methods. Although the word existed before asantes book and had been used by many people, including asante in the l970s, and kwame nkrumah in the l960s, the intellectual idea did not have substance as a philosophical. He has also written books such as afrocentric idea revised, kemet, afrocentricity and knowledge, and classical africa. He is the author of more than 70 books, including as i run toward africa. Asante s book kemet, afrocentricity, and knowledge continues his project of forging a new discipline out of the many strands of black studies.
Afrocentricity refers to the intellectual work of a group of african philosophers, historians, and sociologists during the late twentieth century with varying degrees of attachment to the central idea that the key crisis in the african world is the profoundly disturbing decentering of african people from a subject position within their own narrative. Molefi kete asantes most popular book is afrocentricity. The clash of civilizations, that he delivered at the accraw. Afrocentricity is a theory that emerged in the early 1980s in the united states within the academic context of africanamerican studies. Every book i showcased was by an african or focused on africa. In asante s 1990 book sertima was not listed in the index, and i do not recall asante ever using any of sertimas work in this book. Pdf afrocentricity published in the encyclopedia of identity. Afrocentrism argues that for centuries africans and other nonwhites have been dominated, through slavery and colonization, by europeans, and that european culture is at best irrelevantand at. At the age of eleven, asante attended nashville christian institute, a religious boarding school for black students. The most influential book advocating it was published in 1954. Asante was first to operationalize or defined the meaning of afrocentricity 5. Afrocentricity became popular in the 1980s as scores of african american and african scholars adopted an afrocentric orientation to information. Using history, language, communication, social theory, and philosophy, the author demonstrates the centrality of the creation of the pyramids as the basis of ancient knowledge.
An afrocentric manifesto completes asante s quartet on afrocentric theory. If anyone is interested here are some references for both work on afrocentricity and african origins of civilization. The author has written this book entitled afrocentricity especially for those africans still in a confused state in order to show them the way to peace. Molefi kete asante has 78 books on goodreads with 6410 ratings. He further stated that afrocentricity is an exercise in knowledge and a new historical perspective. Along with the economic and political, we should be as committed to a revolution of the mind and spirit. Afrocentricity was created with the 1980 publication of asantes book 3. Karengas philosophy and work to reconstruct african american history in the 1960s was a major influence on asante s development of afrocentricity asante, 2003, p. Afrocentricity remains as one of the newest and least understood of philosophical branches. Afrocentricity asante major reference works wiley online library.
Afrocentricity contains an extensive chapter on njia and advocates its practice, which involves a ritualistic ceremony that acknowledges the value of the african cultural heritage. Apr, 2009 by l980 he had published a book, afrocentricity. Afrocentricity molefi kete asante professor and chair, department of african american studies, temple university, usa what is it. Molefi kete asante is the worlds foremost expert on the subject of afrocentricity. The theory of social change, which launched the first full discussion of the concept. Today, afrocentricity is widely discussed in the united states, of course, but also in africa, europe, south and central america, and the caribbean.
During the l960s a group of african american intellectuals in the newlyformed black studies departments at universities began to formulate novel ways of analyzing information. Buy a cheap copy of the afrocentric idea book by molefi kete asante. Afrocentricity, according of asante is not simply an ideological and theoretical. Afrocentrism is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the history of people of recent african descent. Molefi kete asante seeks to achieve three basic intellectual aims. After the second edition of the afrocentric idea was released in 1998, asante appeared as a guest on a number of television programs, including the today show, 60 minutes, and the macneillehrer news hour, to discuss his ideas. In this book and his kemet, afrocentricity, and knowledge 1990, asante set out to define what he claimed was an entirely new discipline of academic inquiry. Asante gives us a blueprint for not only dismantling and disposing of the eurocentric gaze within ourselves, but for reconstructing a new, true identity afrocentricity. The central topic of this crossdisciplinary work is the theory of a. Dec 17, 2007 thus, this book engages the major critiques of afrocentricity, defends the necessity for african people to view themselves as agents instead of as objects on the fringes of europe, and proposes a more democratic framework for human relationships. It was founded by molefi kete asante who wrote four books on the subject over two decades marking afrocentricity as an african intellectual. Molefi kete asante born 1942 is an africanamerican scholar, historian, and philosopher, who is currently professor in the department of african american studies at temple university, where he founded the first ph. One of the key assumptions of the afrocentrist is that all relationships are based on centers and margins and the distances from either the center or the margin.
Molefi kete asante is a professor at temple university who is well known for his works based on afrocentricity, a cultural ideology that focuses on the history of black africans and that rejects eurocentric and orientalist attitudes about african people. Asante states that afrocentricity serves as the establishment of the subject place of africans and the destruction of the compliance with the european ideas and concepts of africans asante, 1988. Among the key concepts are agency, location, place, centeredness, and. The dynamic academic publisher universal write recently released asantes book, the african pyramids of knowledge. Molefi kete asante, ursprunglich arthur lee smith junior 14. The working definition of afrocentric research methodology is primarily derived from the work of molefi k. In 1980 molefi asante reintroduced the term afrocentric to the scholarly world in his book afrocentricity. Afrocentricity is not a single monolithic theory of knowledge but. It has been 20 years since molefi asante 1980 published afrocentricity.
Books by molefi kete asante author of afrocentricity. In the late l970s molefi kete asante began speaking of the need for an afrocentric orientation to data. History a 1911 copy of the naacp journal the crisis depicting ramaatneb, one of the kings of the upper nile, a copy of the relief portraying nebmaatre i on meroe pyramid 17. Asante introduces the concept of afrocentricitywith a definition that includes a mode of thought and action. Kemet, afrocentricity and africology universal write. Afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that african people should reassert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity. Further he indicates that the book has created its own supporters and detractors and has also been at the core of intense debates about the decolonizing of the african mind, the dismantling of america, and the destabilizing of the. Afrocentricity is an intellectual paradigm that privileges the centricity of africans within the context of their own historical experiences.
Afrocentricity was articulated by molefi kete asante, a professor of africanamerican studies at temple university and creator of the first ph. He has written more than 550 articles and essays for journals, books and magazines and is the founder of the theory of afrocentricity. Afrocentrism cultural and political movement britannica. Afrocentrism also afrocentricity is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the history of people of recent african descent. According to molefi kete asante 1988, 1930, chair of the department of african american studies at temple university and an acknowledged representative of the afrocentrism movement, the goals of afrocentricity are reconstructing culture and creating collective consciousness among african americans. A professor of african american studies at temple university, asante s academic record reflects a rich array of intellectual achievements and insights expressed in over 60 books, 26 book chapters, 100 plus scholarly arti. May, 2016 afrocentricity answers this question by asserting the central role of the african subject within the context of african history, thereby removing europe from the center of the african reality. Asante s book the afrocentric idea was a more intellectual book about afrocentricity than the earlier popular book. Du bois center in accra, ghana on the 10th of july 1998. Afrocentricity holds that all definitions are autobiographical.
The terms afrocentrism, afrocology, and afrocentricity were coined in the 1980s by the african american scholar and activist molefi asante. Dubois and his contemporaries, asante provides a brilliant steppingstone, just scraping the surface for the uninitiated beginner, into this compelling branch of thought. He asserts that there is one african cultural system that manifests itself in diversity. Originating in the late 19th century through the work of w. The afrocentric manifesto rightly questions these assertions of multiculturalism which fail to recognize the legitimate contribution of africans to the worlds historical, artistic, and intellectual development, while simultaneously challenging cultural hegemony. Afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that african people should re assert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity. In short, it has become a formidable panafrican force that must.
It is in some respects a response to global eurocentric attitudes about african people and their historical contributions. Although the word existed before asantes book and had been used by many people. The abstract noun afrocentricity dates to the 1970s, 8 and was popularized by molefi asante s afrocentricity. Asantes book the afrocentric idea was a more intellectual book about afrocentricity than the earlier popular book. Will the real father of afrocentricity please stand. Context and theory molefi kete asante and the afrocentric idea afrocentricity definition afrocentricity materialized as a theory of knowledge in 1980 under molefi kete asantes philosophical thinking while also posing a systematic challenge to western epistemology. Mar 22, 2001 asante has since claimed this title, and on several occasions, has proudly proclaimed himself indeed, the father of afrocentricity. It emerged in the african american cultural panorama as a set of premises. The afrocentric idea and the cultural turn in intercultural communication studies. I particularly loved his recognition that a physical revolution is not enough. One such proclamation can be found in a lecture titled, the future of african gods. Mk asante defined afrocentricity as a manner of thought and action in which. It is in some respects a response to global attitudes about african people and their historical contributions.
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