Afrocentricity and the Academy: Essays on Theory and Practice

James L. Conyers, Jr.

McFarland, Sep 1, 2015 - Social Science - 320 pages

Afrocentricity is a philosophical and theoretical perspective that emphasizes the study of Africans as subjects, not as objects, and is opposed to perspectives that attempt to marginalize African thought and experience. Afrocentricity became popular in the l980s as scores of African American and African scholars adopted an Afrocentric orientation to information.

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. The seventeen essays examine a wide range of variations on the Afrocentric paradigm in the areas of history, literature, political science, philosophy, economics, women's studies, cultural studies, ethnic studies and social policy. The essays, written by professors, librarians, students and others in higher education who have embraced the Afrocentric perspective, are divided into four sections: "Pedagogy and Implementation," "Theoretical Assessment," "Critical Analysis," and "Pan Africanist Thought."

Contents

• Preface: 1
• Pedagogy and Implementation: 5
• Theoretical Assessment: 67
• Critical Analysis: 141
• PanAfricanist Thought: 187
• About the Contributors: 309
• Index: 311

About the author

The late James L. Conyers, Jr., winner of the Cheikh Anta Diop Ankh Award for Distinguished Research in the Discipline of African American Studies, was the director of the African American Studies Program and university professor of African American Studies at the University of Houston.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Afrocentricity and the Academy: Essays on Theory and Practice
• Editor: James L. Conyers, Jr.
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: McFarland, 2015
• ISBN: 0786483253, 9780786483259
• Length: 320 pages
• Subjects: Education / General; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies