Asante s book the afrocentric idea was a more intellectual book about afrocentricity than the earlier popular book. One prominent afrocentrist teaches that beethoven was afro european. Afrocentricity afrocentricity afrocentricity is the critical analysis and interpretation of culture, economy, history, language, philosophy, politics, and society from a conceptual, methodological. Mk asante defined afrocentricity as a manner of thought and action in which the centrality of african interests, values, and perspectives predominate. Pdf afrocentricity afrocentricity afrocentricity is the critical analysis and.
Pdf afrocentricity published in the encyclopedia of identity. Molefi kete asante is the founder of the african american studies department at temple university. In 1980 molefi asante reintroduced the term afrocentric to the scholarly world in his book afrocentricity. It is in some respects a response to global eurocentric attitudes about african people and their historical contributions. Afrocentrism is a set of beliefs that depicts ancient african achievement as the driver and foundation for modern philosophical thoughts and technologies. The first definition was by asante who defined afrocentricity. Afrocentricity is a mode of thought and action which the centrality of african interests, values and perspectives predominate. 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. He introduced the concept in 1980 in his book titled.
Jul 29, 2009 asante responds to pan african and afrocentric issues those who are interested in asantes commentaries can catch a small list of youtube videos on several topics. He further stated that afrocentricity is an exercise in knowledge and a new historical perspective. Afrocentricity is not a single monolithic theory of knowledge but. The roots of afrocentricity can be divided into three basic. Afrocentrism is an other weed fertilized by the idea that there is no such thing as truth, only competing narratives. 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. 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. Applying analytic afrocentricity to narratives of identity, howard journal of communication. Afrocentricity has been defined in many different ways but i believe the definition given to us by molefi asante to be quite comprehensive and simple. The emerging paradigm of afrocentric research methods. During the l960s a group of african american intellectuals in the newlyformed black studies departments at universities began to formulate novel ways of.
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. To regard african civilizations and culture as significant. Many of asantes speeches, lectures, and commentaries have been recorded over the past five years. 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. It has been 20 years since molefi asante 1980 published. It emerged in the african american cultural panorama as a set of premises. Henry garnet, and henry mcneal turner, among others, afrocentric scholars such as molefi asante, maulan akarenga, naim akbar, dona marimba richards aka marimba ani, the late john henrik clarke, and chance llor wi lliams developed afrocentrism into a full fledged and combative ideology of intellectual resistance.
Afrocentricity holds that all definitions are autobiographical. Afrocentrism in the context of this paper the terms african worldview, afrocentric worldview and african thought are regarded as synonymous. Afrocentricity definition of afrocentricity by medical. The terms afrocentrism, afrocology, and afrocentricity were coined in the 1980s by the african american scholar and activist molefi asante. Several of the videos have been used as primary sources for classes and seminars. Professor, founder, and author molefi kete asante was born on august 14, 1942 in valdosta, georgia to arthur lee and lillie b. Afrocentricity is a theory that emerged in the early 1980s in the united states within the academic context of africanamerican studies.
It has been 20 years since molefi asante 1980 published afrocentricity. 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. During the l960s a group of african american intellectuals in the newlyformed black studies departments at universities. However, afrocentricity is an open system with the possibility of argument and differences over what is agency, centeredness, or subject position. Apr, 2009 afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that african people should reassert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity. Benefits of afrocentricity in exploring social phenomena. So long as homosexuals primary definition of self or their most authentic consciousness is homosexuality, they are outside of the african struggle.
Afrocentricity is a way to view data and to create information. He is the author of egyptian philosophies and egypt vs. The afrocentric idea and the cultural turn in intercultural communication studies. He is the author of more than 70 books, including as i run toward africa, a memoir.
Afrocentric definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The working definition of afrocentric research methodology is primarily derived from the work of molefi k. 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. This book, along with the afrocentric idea asante, 1987 and kemet, afrocentricity and knowledge asante, 1990, introduced fundamental referential changes in the african community. Published 42009 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 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. The long list of asante s teachers includes various names. Contemporary scholars such as marimba ani, molefi kete asante, asa hillard, maulana karenga, and john mbiti have stated that the african worldview provides a method. Afrocentric definition of afrocentric by merriamwebster. The principles and values t hat underpin this worldview are the intercon.
The development of the term afrocentricity must be attributed to asante 1987. 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. Afrocentricity, according of asante is not simply an ideological and theoretical. Afrocentricity was articulated by molefi kete asante, a professor of africanamerican studies at temple university and creator of the first ph. 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. This new edition ofthe afrocentric ideaboldly confronts the contemporary challenges that have been launched against molefi kete asantes philosophical, soci. Molefi kete asante published 42009 afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that african people should reassert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity. Molefi kete asante, the founding and preeminent theorist of afrocentricity is one of the most important and influential intellectuals at work today. Context and theory molefi kete asante and the afrocentric idea afrocentricity definition afrocentricity materialized as a theory of knowledge in 1980 under molefi kete asante s philosophical thinking while also posing a systematic challenge to western epistemology. 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. Mk asante defined afrocentricity as a manner of thought and. 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.
Thus, as an orientation to data, it is beyond any permanent conceptual. Pdf community practice and the afrocentric paradigm. This means that teachers must examine their lessons to see that they. May 07, 2015 this weeks conversation is with molefi kete asante, a professor of africanamerican studies at temple university, known for his pioneering work in the area of afrocentricity. It also looks at afrocentrism in terms of eurocentrism, afrocentric social theory, and afrocentric social science. The central topic of this crossdisciplinary work is the theory of afrocentricity, which mandates that africans be viewed as subjects rather than objects. Afrocentric definition is centered on or derived from africa or the africans. There is something more than knowing in the afrocentric sense. At the age of eleven, asante attended nashville christian institute, a religious boarding school for black students. Afrocentricity african american research center u of i. 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.
The paper offers a chronology of the developing dialogue among intellectuals about afrocentric research methods. Discourse and innovation in african world community studies. From diop to asante journal of pan african studies. The mastermind of afrocentric movement, asante was born on.