History in Black: African-Americans in Search of an Ancient Past [Hardcover]

Yaacov Shavit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0714650625 | ISBN-13: 978-0714650623 | Edition: annotated edition

The development of Afrocentric historical writing is explored in this study which traces this recording of history from the Hellenistic-Roman period to the 19th century. Afrocentric writers are depicted as searching for the unique primary source of "culture" from one period to the next. Such passing on of cultural traits from the "ancient model" from the classical period to the origin of culture in Egypt and Africa is shown as being a product purely of creative history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; annotated edition edition (September 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714650625
• ISBN-13: 978-0714650623
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,171,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am impressed, November 28, 2007

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RobinHood "Prince" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: History in Black: African-Americans in Search of an Ancient Past (Paperback)

Let me start out by say Professor Shavit is very brave many scholars are afraid to tackle the demon of afrocentrism because they are afraid for there careers and if speak out will be labeled as racist,some just have white guilt so sympathize and follow along with afrocentrism.There are also scholars who think its just harmless story telling and is just therapuetic and helpful to african americans who have an iferiority complex because there ancestors suffered under the horrible state of slavery and jim crow laws of the south, but two wrongs don't make a right and leting a people believe these false hoods is not healthy,because many afrocentrics tone has become to reminiscent of nazism with grand conspiracy of culture theft,theories of superiority to other races and are engaging in psuedosciences to prove false points and in the process stealing culture that is not there's to have or that would be unfamiliar to there sub Saharan ancestors.

Egypt seem to be the sparking point of the afrocentric movement which I learned from the book has it's origins in the 18th and 19th centuries.this book clearly picks apart many arguments made by extreme pseudo scholars like that of ben-jochannan who like to point out Herodotus when it suits his narrow minded propaganda.but yet when Herodotus points out that there was in fact major different physiological and vast difference in culture and according to Herodotus it was the Ethiopians(Nubians) who adopted Egyptian customs and had became mild mannered and civilized through mixing with the Egyptians, now Herodotus than is called liar and must have heard that information through rumors.Hows that for being hypocritical. Professor Shavit deals out the pain to many afrocentrics and there cherry picking of the facts.

This book also points out how afrocentrics either ignore or just claim conspiracy when other accounts on the skin color of the ancient Egyptians from many other sources from antiquity.Like the Hippocratic text which describes the ancient Egyptians as like the scythians the Egyptians are reddened from the sun but the scythians are reddened from the cold,and I could go on and on about other ancient travelers and accounts that point to the polar opposite to what afrocentrics want to believe in there own psychotic minds but I would just be copying the book there is more trust me.also for instance when afrocentrics claim that certain 7th century BC Greek writers said that ancient Egypt originated from Ethiopia(somalia) those writers were getting there information from the Nubians who through conquest were the seat of Egyptian orthodox of Egyptian culture at the time

and as Strabo wrote all lands south of the first cataract was know a Ethiopia meaning the burnt faces.

In closing I highly recommend this book. it calls afrocentrism what it is inflammatory rhetoric based on half truths,twisting of facts ,delusions of grandeur on a monumental scale, a lack of in dept scholarly study,out and out lies, it's obsessive, it's engaging in cultural theft and is becoming a racist ideology.