quote: African-Centered Scholarship: Its distinction, and its absence from many Black Studies courses
Streamed live on May 10, 2015 In this _Conversations with Brotha Asar_, I sit down with a panel of distinguished African-Centered (A-C) scholars to discuss what constitutes scholarship from the A-C perspective (what it is and what it ain't) and how to distinguish an A-C scholar from one who simply "talks Black issues." Also, we seek to find answers to the question of, "Why is A-C scholarship left out of many Black studies canon and readings in many university courses?" Join me and my distinguished panel as we discuss these issues and more.
Great stuff from Asar Imhotep, pls take the time to view or better yet sub to his channel,quality conversations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P6pyg2T-OU distinction What direction African Centered Scholarship must take, what differentiates it from Afro-eccentrism a much needed discussion. Take time to view pls.
Posts: 6546 | From: japan | Registered: Feb 2009
| IP: Logged |
posted
This is an interesting video. It provides key details on why Black Professionals don't write African centered material.
It made it clear that a major problem with African centered researchers is that they don't write. The absence of textual material in the field, means that people don't have the material to study.
.
-------------------- C. A. Winters Posts: 13012 | From: Chicago | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
The Funding issue is very important. Take publishing genetics articles for example. To publish an article in PLoS, or BioMed, you have to pay between $2500-$3000. This means that if your research is not funded--you won't have the money to publish in these journals. As a result, you may seek to publish your articles in other peer reviewed journals whose publication cost is less..
-------------------- C. A. Winters Posts: 13012 | From: Chicago | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
African centered theory plays a limited role in Historical, Anthropological and Linguistic research relating to Black and African people in ancient history.
Many people get Afrocentricity and Afrocentrism mixed up. Afrocentrism is the production of knowledge via visual or textually resources in the research tradition of J.A. Rogers, Anta Diop and W.E.B.DuBois. Asante’s 5 Characteristics of Afrocentricity are:
(1) an intense interest in psychological location as determined by symbols, motifs, rituals, and signs;
(2) a commitment to finding the subject-place of Africans in any social, political, economic, architectural, literary, or religious phenomenon with implications for questions of sex, gender, and class; 3) a defense of African cultural elements as historically valid in the context of art, music, education, science and literature;
(4) a celebration of centeredness and agency and a commitment to lexical refinement that eliminates pejoratives about Africans or other people;
(5) a powerful imperative from historical sources to revise the collective text of African people.
This means that in Afrocentricity researchers do not use the methods of academic disciplines that originated in Europe to interpret Africalogical events.
This is not the mission of Afrocentrism.
Afrocentrism-is adherence to principles and theories related to the idea that African and World history originated on the African continent and moved outward from Africa through the human agency of Africans speaking related languages and practicing a shared culture, who founded the first civilizations of Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia.
The old Afrocentrists practiced Afrocentrism, while the young Afrocentrists practice Afrocentricity . Molefi Kete Asante has observered that Afrocentricity is the theorectical perspective found on a African centered consciousness that locates African behaviors within the context of African psychological, cultural and sociological experiences and agency. As a result, it is not the data being used to examine an African phenomenon , it is the approach the researcher uses to illuminate and understand that phenomenon.
As a result of this method of research young Afrocentrists spend their time conducting research based on Asante's 5 Characteristics of Afrocentricity:
(1) an intense interest in psychological location as determined by symbols, motifs, rituals, and signs;
(2) a commitment to finding the subject-place of Africans in any social, political, economic, architectural, literary, or religious phenomenon with implications for questions of sex, gender, and class;
3) a defense of African cultural elements as historically valid in the context of art, music, education, science and literature;
(4) a celebration of centeredness and agency and a commitment to lexical refinement that eliminates pejoratives about Africans or other people;
(5) a powerful imperative from historical sources to revise the collective text of African people.
If you look at the research of the young Afrocentrists they are practicing their craft based on Afrocentricity. They prefer to research Egypt because their principal "teachers", or authors of the research they read are Egyptocentric.
W. E. B. DuBois, J. C. DeGraft-Johnson, Chancellor Williams, and Cheikh Anta Diop practiced Afrocentrism. Molefi Kete Asante practice Afrocentricity as he explains in :
In this paper Asante makes it clear he does not practice Afrocentrism, the craft of W.E.B. DuBois and Anta Diop.
We can define Afrocentrism, as adherence to principles and theories related to the idea that African and World history originated on the African continent and moved outward from Africa through the human agency of Africans speaking related languages and practicing a shared culture, who founded the first civilizations of Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. The methods of Afrocentrism are based on application of science through use of the academic disciplines of Anthropology, Archaeology, History, and Linguistics. The young Afrocentrists do not believe they should use these methods because they have a commitment to finding the subject-place of Africans in any social, political, economic, architectural, literary, or religious phenomenon. This is one of the reasons they do not conduct original research.
Afrocentrists who practiced Afrocentrism were trained in a traditional research oriented Social Science or the Humanities. Granted, J.A. Rogers and John Jackson were not formerly trained as anthropologists and/or ethnographers. They were successful in their research because they mastered the Knowledge base necessary to conduct anthropological research.
The young Afrocentrists are lazy. They rarely believe in any historical event unless a “white researcher” makes the discovery first; or the Afro-American researcher is supported by the European academe.
Many young Afrocentrists do not form the knowledge base necessary to do original research, or learn the necessary foreign languages to conduct research in ancient African or Black World History. Many claim to follow Diop, but they fail to study his methods of Afrocentrism and employ them in their own research, instead they conduct research according to the 5 characteristics of Afrocentricity.
If they studied Diop's work they would spend more time expanding their knowledge base instead of conducting research based on Afrocentricity. In 1974, Harun Kofi Wangara, in an interview with Cheikh Anta Diop (Black World, Feb.1974, pp.53-61, recorded Diop's views on researching Afrocentric history. In this interview Diop observed that "…I think that it will be necessary to put together polyvalent scientific teams, capable of doing in-depth studies , for sure, and that's important. It bothers me when someone takes me on my word without developing a means of verifying what I say….We must form a scientific spirit, capable of seeing even the weaknesses of our own proofs, of seeing the unfinished side of our work and of committing ourselves to completing it. You understand? Therefore we should then have a work which could honestly stand criticism, because what we've done would have been placed on a scientific plane".
Today we need the young Afrocentrists to learn more about Afrocentrism. Afrocentrism is based on the study of Blacks throughout the world. The methods used to study Afrocentrism are anthropology, archaeology, history and linguistics. J.A. Rogers and J.G.Jackson were masters of anthropological knowledge about Black people. W.E.B. DuBois was the founder of the field of Afrocentric Ancient Studies of History. C.A. Diop used linguistics and anthropology to study the African past as did G.W. Parker in relation to Blacks in Greece.
J.A. Rogers,in Sex and Race C.A. Diop, and W.E.B. DuBois, in The World and Africa, and The Negro used historical methods to make it clear that Blacks do have a HISTORY. And Th. Obenga, and C.A. Diop, in Nouvelles recherches sur l'egyptien ancien et les langues negro-africaines modernes, and Parente genetique de l'eyptien pharaonique et des langue Negro-africaines; used regular historical and comparative linguistic methods to explain the ancient connections between contemporary African groups and ancient Black culture bearers like the Egyptians .
J.A. Rogers used ethnography to confirm the history Blacks in the ancient world. Roger's Sex and Race, is the best example of the use of ethnographic methods to explore the role of Blacks in ancient times.
The study of artifacts discovered through archaological excavations(in Egypt and Mesopotamia) and skeletal remains were used by Hansberry, DuBois and J.A. Rogers. These researchers took this information to elaborate our understanding about the culture and history of the Blacks who founded civilization. John G. Jackson, in Man God and Civilization, provides the most detailed use of archaeological findings to explain and discuss details about the ancient civilizations founded by Blacks.
Linguistic research to confirm the ancient history of Blacks has only recently been used in Afrocentric research. The first person to use linguistic methods to explore the ancient history of Blacks was George Wells Parker. Parker used anthropological, archaeological, historical and classical sources to prove that blacks once lived in the Aegean.
After Parker, C.A. Diop began the use of anthropological evidence, and linguistics to confirm the two major paradigms associated with the study of ancient Afrocentric history. Diop's work has been concerned with confirming the African origin of Egyptian civilization. There are many followers of this tradition in French speaking West Africa, the leading researcher in this field is Theophile Obenga. These researchers conducted original research that stands today confirmed.
Eurocentric and liberal historians maintain that we should reject Afrocentrism because it is science to promote self-esteem among African people. Stephen Howe, in Afrocentrism, maintains that Afrocentric history is romance-bound, i.e., a history based on conjecture and myth making, rather than factually grounded in evidence and critical analysis of the records of the past.
The main problem with this view of Diop and other Afrocentric researchers discussed in Howe's book, is that Howe fails to provided any contemporary or "dated" references which disconfirm the sources used by Diop. The absence of counter evidences to Diop's research makes any of Howe's comments about the inadequacies of Afrocentric research groundless.
The fact that Howe can demand that we reject Afrocentrism without any evidence falsifying the claims of Afrocentric social scientists, make it clear that the scientific method, which is suppose to be the preserve of "professional historians" is not recognized when there is a discussion of Afrocentric historical claims. I often even hear some "Afrocentric" leaning researchers claim that Diop made mistakes, but like Howe they never present the evidence to support their claims.
Finally, you can not compare "young Afrocentrists" to white scholars because the later group has the funding to support their research whereas, no one will fund Afrocentric research; because this research confirms that Blacks have an ancient history that predated and outshown that of Greece and Rome. It is not easy to conduct ancient history research. For example, at Universities like Chicago and Northwestern, you can't even get inside Library without a special pass. The private nature of many libraries associated with private Universities can hinder the research of novice and expert alike. Add to this the lack of training among "young Afrocentrists" in the research methods of the Social Sciences and Humanities and you can understand why they have not made monumental studies in the Afrocentric Social Science. They will never make the great studies until they learn the methods of Afrocentrism.
In summary, researchers practicing Afrocentrism use anthropology, archaeology and linguistic research to confirm the historical evidence of Blacks in ancient history. Generally we can define Afrocentrism as the study of history, anthropology etc., from a perspective that centers research on the African actors involved in the area of research under study. Researchers practicing Afrocentrism do not base their research solely on Asante’s 5 Characteristics of Afrocentricity.
-------------------- C. A. Winters Posts: 13012 | From: Chicago | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Not calling who has deep pockets or not. But $2500 is not a lot of money.
Because of the influence and impact these magazine have I would thing it is a lot more.
-------------------- Without data you are just another person with an opinion - Deming Posts: 12143 | From: When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable | Registered: Jun 2007
| IP: Logged |
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
The man doesn't have the proper background or credentials to publish what is nothing more than his comments on population genetics.
He cannot even write up a grant proposal as the credentialed scientists and assistants of supportive disciplines do to make actual raw data reports. His "institute" is a fraud. His works are no product of any legitimate institute.
Believe me Peer Review will deny any submission that doesn't know the difference between L0 and something Clyde made up but doesn't exist, LO.
All he can do is badmouth any other black out there doing things and going places.
What direction African Centered Scholarship must take, what differentiates it from Afro-eccentrism a much needed discussion. Take time to view pls.
Is African Centered Scholarship (or Africana) differentiated from Afrocentrism ?
or is it only differentiated from "Afro-eccentrism" ?
______________________________
Also who are the leading Afro-eccentric scholars?
.
It is differentiated from "Afro-eccentrism. As to your next question you know who those folks are.
Posts: 6546 | From: japan | Registered: Feb 2009
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Tukuler: The man doesn't have the proper background or credentials to publish what is nothing more than his comments on population genetics.
He cannot even write up a grant proposal as the credentialed scientists and assistants of supportive disciplines do to make actual raw data reports. His "institute" is a fraud. His works are no product of any legitimate institute.
Believe me Peer Review will deny any submission that doesn't know the difference between L0 and something Clyde made up but doesn't exist, LO.
All he can do is badmouth any other black out there doing things and going places.
LOL. You're just jealous because you have not published any Afrocentric articles or write your own blog.As a white English Professor, I know you have some publications, just none in the Afrocentric area.
At Academia Edu I am in the top 5%. Over the past 30 days there was 95 PROFILE VIEWS[ IN THE LAST 30 DAYS 983 DOCUMENT VIEWS; and IN THE LAST 30 DAYS 649 UNIQUE VISITORS See : https://olmec98.academia.edu/CWinters
This illustrates that my research is having an influence in the Academic community.
I have several articles in established peer reviewed journals listed in the PMC-NCBI
Select item 3385173 1. A comparison of Fulani and Nadar HLA Clyde Winters Indian J Hum Genet. 2012 Jan-Apr; 18(1): 137–138. doi: 10.4103/0971-6866.96686 PMCID: PMC3385173 ArticlePubReaderCitation Select item 3168144
2. Can parallel mutation and neutral genome selection explain Eastern African M1 consensus HVS-I motifs in Indian M haplogroups Clyde Winters Indian J Hum Genet. 2007 Sep-Dec; 13(3): 93–96. doi: 10.4103/0971-6866.38982 PMCID: PMC3168144 ArticlePubReaderCitation Select item 2930572
3. The Fulani are not from the Middle East Clyde Winters Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 August 24; 107(34): E132. Published online 2010 August 3. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1008007107 PMCID: PMC2930572 ArticlePubReaderPDF–485KCitation
You are really a jealous white fan. You are almost like a Stalker. You have been reading my work since my days of writing for Swahili magazine in the early 1970's, since you mentioned this fact when I first joined ES.
You just can't stand the fact that I am bold enough to publish my work and can get it published in peer reviewed journals.While you post at Egyptsearch and try to destroy the Ancient Egypt Forum.
I forgive you, jealousy can make a bitch do stupid things.
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
First, I am NOT nor ever claimed to be Afrocentric. You are not Afrocentric. You are blackcentric, you addle pated imposter.
BAR published my letter on Kush in the Hebrew writings and the ancient world in general, do I go around acting like a letter of comment = a peer reviewed article. Damn boy you stupid.
Look at you Mr. Big Fish Baby swimming in a layman's pond diaper all soiled with poop. Hahahahahahahahaa!!!!! Black professional scholars have and will chew you up and spit you out you garrulous guppy.
The only one jealous of anything is Y O U !
It shows in your constant use of the word jealous to describe every black layman and even your betters (Asar Imhotep, Rashidi, Ampim, vanSertima, you name any REAL black scholar, not afro-eccentrics like yourself who are not pro Africa at all).
And yeah, that's right you blustering buffoon booby, I read and collected Afrikan Mwalimu and Afrique Histoire. You stupid motherless mutt megalomaniac, you were not the only one writing in those periodicals.
Your horrendously hideous head is so swelled with puss you think the galaxy swirls around you. I have read hundreds of black scholars. I have even corrected two of them online on their own forums and they respectfully weighed balanced and thankfully accepted what I precisioned because unlike you they were not preaching to a choir of fools dumber than you. They were willing to learn and never incorporated biblical/quraanic mythology doxa into their work nor play coy with racially insulting non-black peoples to gain grandstanding favor with a peanut gallery up in the balcony.
Yeah, when you first joined ES and even up to last month I would speak positively of you when the others called charlatan among other choice words. Those days are over and you better watch your ass less you only post to your own useless unread sudra blog.
The man doesn't have the proper background or credentials to publish what is nothing more than his comments on population genetics.
He cannot even write up a grant proposal as the credentialed scientists and assistants of supportive disciplines do to make actual raw data reports. His "institute" is a fraud. His works are no product of any legitimate institute.
Believe me Peer Review will deny any submission that doesn't know the difference between L0 and something Clyde made up but doesn't exist, LO.
All he can do is badmouth any other black out there doing things and going places.
[ 27. May 2015, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: ausar ]
Posts: 8179 | From: the Tekrur straddling Senegal & Mauritania | Registered: Dec 2011
| IP: Logged |
Please feel free to rebroach it anew or wait a few 'till I reopen it again.
Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic