posted
The Smithsonian Institution is overseeing ths National Museum of African American History and Culture at the National Mall. This is set to open in 2013. I suggest that we set-up a lobbying group to incorporate the history of the Afrocentrism Movement in the USA into the museums platform. What do you think?
Posts: 2720 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
I'm all for it but I hope we don't get any of the crazy afrocentrists in there. They make the ones of us who are objective thinkers i.e. the ones of us who don't have a need to prove "everybody" and "everthing" in history was black or created by blacks. Those proponents of afrocentrism that think melanin, afro-yoga, and diet will give you the ability to levitate and solve blacks as well as the world problems are nuts. They also draw attention away from good scholarship.
You got an adress for the foundation or know if they take donations.
quote:Originally posted by kifaru: I'm all for it but I hope we don't get any of the crazy afrocentrists in there. They make the ones of us who are objective thinkers i.e. the ones of us who don't have a need to prove "everybody" and "everthing" in history was black or created by blacks. Those proponents of afrocentrism that think melanin, afro-yoga, and diet will give you the ability to levitate and solve blacks as well as the world problems are nuts. They also draw attention away from good scholarship.
You got an adress for the foundation or know if they take donations.
As long as the label Afrocentric is used it will stand for ethnocentric thinking and can not exclude the lunatic fringe.
African studies or Africana studies needs to be clear of both Eurocentric and Afrocentric biases. Of course an African will approach the topic from an African perspective just as a European will come from a European take.
What needs to be done is to examine things as much as possible without the initial premise being to spin the evidence in favor of any social group. And yes that means correcting conclusions that were arrived at through deliberate bias whether pro or con.
Posts: 8014 | From: the Tekrur in the Western Sahel | Registered: Feb 2006
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quote:Originally posted by alTakruri: As long as the label Afrocentric is used it will stand for ethnocentric thinking and can not exclude the lunatic fringe.
This is more due to the fact that eurocentric academia has demonized the term "afrocentric" and has ruled it as invalid because it challenges their cherished view of how things were. The sad thing is that Eurocentric thought is quite off base about many things to do with Europe. More likely than not you will always see European history taught as starting in Greece, moving to Rome and then spreading to the rest of western europe. The fact is there were people and civilizations in all parts of europe before the romans or greeks showed up but the establishment prefers not to talk about it. Posts: 167 | From: usa | Registered: Jul 2004
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Doesn't "Eurocentric" have a negative connotation to it, too? Words can be carefully chosen to make sure that the information presented is treated with the proper respect, instead of being treated as just one more group of "nuts and their theories" about Ancient Egyptian history. The term "Afrocentric" will raise the prejudices of those that may otherwise be at least halfway open-minded. An awareness of public relations could help get the valid points across much more easily.
Posts: 103 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Being anything-"centric" sounds negative but on the other-hand, historians in general are biased and today, bias is often accepted(which is why it pays to examine multiple sources for historical information).
To be Eurocentric should be to focus on European history and issues. What it shouldn't be is an agenda of proving white supremacy as so often happens on the net.
To be Afrocentric should be to focus on African history and issues. What it shouldn't be is an agenda of proving black supremacy as so often happens on the net.
So having Afrocentrics in scholarly or academic settings is fine so long as the persona isn't promoting a supremacist or racist agenda...
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I prefer "Africanist" to "Afrocentric" simply because those who want to defend Eurocentrism and maintain its interpretive monopoly on all human activity especially those activities relating to persons of African descent retort that Afrocentrism is by definition non-objective. Which, of course, is not true.
The original intent was to develop objective, confirmable and provable correctives to the excesses of Eurocentrism. Eurocentrism is simply the stubborn and race-derived monopoly in all human activity and achievement--in the areas of technology, morality, aesthetics, intelligence, creativity, etc.-- that most scholars of European descent want to preserve for peoples of European descent worldwide--especially where people of African origin are concerned--IF THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT.
The past and present function of Eurocentrism in the world is to ensure that the racial hierarchy of Europeans at the top of all or most human intellectual or cultural achievement is maintained wherever possible.
Eurocentrism puts blacks at the bottom of that fanciful totem pole. That's why persons of non-European heritage who are non-black also have a stake in maintaining that phony status quo.
Afrocentrism, from what I have seen, prefers a circular cultural arrangement of the world's peoples but that's often lost in the ripostes and attacks from Eurocentrism.
In this regard, the Smithsonian's activities re the history of blacks in America should be watched with a hawk's eye. I wonder how Nat Turner's rebellion or the impact of the Haitian Revolution on American history would be portrayed?
quote:Originally posted by neo*geo: Being anything-"centric" sounds negative but on the other-hand, historians in general are biased and today, bias is often accepted(which is why it pays to examine multiple sources for historical information).
Agreed. The goal here should be unbiased, multidiciplinary approach to truth searching with regards to the topic at hand. Don't prefer any label of any kind; just a truth searcher!
quote:Originally posted by Thought2: Thought Writes:
Kifaru I am proposing that we create a lobbying group to be proactive and begin to address this issue now.
I even propose starting a website and message board to at least have a start with something, something like Ta-Seti, but wothout the use of debunked and extreme Afrocentrist dogma.
There are many archaeological sites scattered across Africa from the Nile Valley down to Southern Africa. Too many times since the whole Black Athena debate people have been focused on proving ancient Greece was an Egyptian colony. The unofrtunate fact is that many of those that proclaim '"Afrocentrism'' are too busy searching for Africa in other regions than besides within Africa. I believe in being balanced and observing archaeological data instead of political idealogy.
I hope people here also realize there are more African history than just ancient Egypt. Other areas of Africa need research also.
Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
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