The Afrocentric Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition [Paperback]

Molefi Asante (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156639595X | ISBN-13: 978-1566395953 | Publication Date: January 7, 1998 | Edition: Revised

This new edition of "The Afrocentric Idea" boldly confronts the contemporary challenges that have been launched against Molefi Kete Asante's philosophical, social, and cultural theory. By rendering a critique of some postmodern positions as well as the old structured Eurocentric orientations discussed in the first edition, this new edition contains lively engagements with views expressed by Mary Lefkowitz, Paul Gilroy, and Cornel West. Expanding on his core ideas, Asante has cast "The Afrocentric Idea" in the tradition of provocative critiques of the established social order. This is a fresh and dynamic location of culture within the context of social change. Molefi Kete Asante is Professor and chair of African-American Studies at Temple University, and author of several books, including "African Intellectual Heritage" (with Abu S. Abarry, Temple) and "The Historical and Cultural Atlas of African Americans".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Asante's wide range of references, his delightful examples taken from black traditions, and his sheer pleasure at discussing black culture, all combine to make his argument both cogent and important. This will be a major book." --Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Chair, Afro-American Studies Department, Harvard University, and W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities "Commencing with a spirited criticism of traditional Western academic discourse, Asante's drama concludes with a discussion of a transformative African and African-American discourse that puts its participants in possession of the dynamic spirits of a distinctive African cultural experience." --Chronicle of Higher Education "Mr. Asante is widely regarded as a major proponent of 'Afrocentricity,' or the understanding of the black experience as an extension of African history and culture... He is credited with doing as much as anyone to build a theoretical base for an idea that has been around for sometime." --Quarterly Journal of Speech "Not the least purpose of The Afrocentric Idea is to show blacks they have an African heritage and history that have persisted through, and helped blacks to survive slavery and subsequent discrimination." --The New York Review of Books

From the Publisher

Asante's spirited engagement with culture warriors, neocons, and postmodernists updates this classic --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; Revised edition (January 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156639595X
• ISBN-13: 978-1566395953
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > History > Historical Study > Philosophy of History

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Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE FOUNDATIONAL WORK OF AFROCENTRICITY, REVISED AND EXPANDED, December 15, 2010

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Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Afrocentric Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

Molefi Asante (born 1942) is an African-American scholar, historian, and philosopher, who is currently Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Temple University, where he founded the first Ph.D. program in African American Studies. He is also widely credited with being the founder of the "Afrocentricity" school of thought.

He writes in the Preface to the 1998 (revised and expanded) edition, "Until African Americans are thought of in terms of African history, it will be impossible to write a coherent sociology or psychology of the African American experience. Thus, I offer Afrocentricity as a moral as well as an intellectual location that posits Africans as subjects rather than as objects of human history and that establishes a perfectly valid and scientific basis for the explanation of African historical experiences."

Here are some other quotes from the book:

"Afrocentricity ... means, literally, placing African ideals at the center of any analysis that involves African culture and behavior." (Pg. 2)
"Therefore, it is unproductive to try to explain the concept of okyeame (linguist) from a Eurocentric perspective, particularly when that concept is not present in European culture. Of course, such explanations are often attempted by those who do not understand---like the white missionaries who, once given hospitality by Africans, wrote in their diaries that the 'natives' thought white men were gods. Their conceptions of themselves and their hosts contributed to an inadequate interpretation of hospitality and generosity to strangers." (Pg. 74)
"Afrocentricity is the most complete philosophical totalization of the African being-at-the-center of his or her existence. It is not merely an artistic or literary movement, or an individual or collective quest for authenticity; it is above all the total use of method to effect psychological, political, social, cultural, and economic change. The Afrocentric idea reaches beyond decolonizing the mind." (Pg. 137)
"Throughout this book, I have been arguing that all analysis is culturally centered and flows from ideological assumptions; this is the fundamental revelation of modern intellectual history." (Pg. 173)
"My intention is more comprehensive: I seek a critical method applicable to Africans, wherever they are, in much the same way that Western scholars have set the procedures for criticizing Western discourse." (Pg. 187)

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read book, August 1, 2005

By 

Abdjetu "Mutu" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Afrocentric Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

This is a great and excellent book by the creator of Afrocentricity; Pr Asante. It helps us see the world from another and true perspective. It is insightful and soundly reasoned. Go get it!

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Molefi is The Anointed Saint!, May 5, 2005

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Third World (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Afrocentric Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

This book (along with Theory for Social Change) saved my spirit and will save the spirit of any Black person that reads it. It is incredible and the Elder covers just about every aspect pertaining to the Black experience. This book is a precursor to Pan Africanism. Buy it!!!