Afrocentrism can broadly be defined as an ideology that regards African or black culture as pre-eminent. Over the last half of the 20th Century, its influence became increasingly widespread in the United States, particularly in academia and in popular music culture.
Robert T Carroll, author of “The Skeptic’s dictionary” describes it in its simplest terms as “A pseudohistorical movement that erroneously claims that African–Americans should trace their roots back to ancient Egypt because it was dominated by a race of black Africans”
Its other main contentions are that Black Africans dominated Egyptian culture; Ancient Greeks plundered Ancient Egyptian works; many notable historical figures including Jesus, Cleopatra and Socrates were Black; Jews were responsible for creating a Black slave trade.
In some ways Afrocentrism can be seen as an understandable reaction to the deep injustices of racism, and the subjugation of Black people in America for much of its history, particularly under the notorious Jim Crow Law which effectively operated as a racial caste system in the Southern and Border States, from the 1870s until the mid 1960s.
However, at its most extreme, Afrocentrism is essentially racist; and its thinking flawed. Ironically, its inherent racism has been allowed to go unchallenged in many quarters through fear of any criticism being deemed racist. The claims made by some extreme proponents have taken academic points out of context to promote their own ideological beliefs and perpetuate and promote racial tensions.
Many parallels can be drawn between the pseudohistory that is deployed by Holocaust deniers, and the pseudohistory of extreme Afrocentrists. Their focus tends to be narrow, and seeks only to confirm their own beliefs. Chronology is conveniently ignored, as is any primary evidence that does not fit in with their own point of view. Where there is no evidence to support a theory that they deem to be fact, a historical conspiracy or cover-up is usually claimed to have taken place.
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, writing in Skeptic speaks at length on how much of the body of African academia is ignored by extreme Afrocentrists, who tend to focus very much on Egypt and its effect on Greek civilisation. This area is commonly known as Kemetism, after the name Kemet, meaning Ancient Egypt.
Appiah observed that, with the exception of Cheik Anta Diop, most scholarly work tends to be ignored. Diop is not without his own agenda : “Ancient Egypt was a negro civilisation (and) the moral fruit of their civilisation is to be counted among the assets of the Black World.”
Extreme Afrocentrism can be seen as a reaction to outmoded models of Historical writing. Its stance is not dissimilar to a jingoistic 19th century Eurocentric approach to History, that holds up some reflection of its own moral and social values and self-image. Afrocentrism tends to see that this Eurocentrism is at work today, and that a cultural legacy has been misappropriated.
The seminal work on the notion that a Black cultural legacy was deliberately taken is "Stolen Legacy" by George G. M. James. Published in 1954, it has had a lasting influence in Afrocentrist circles. Maulana Karenga, Chair of Black Studies at California State University, believes that the book was: "seminal in its conception and presentation at an early stage in the African project of rescuing and reconstructing the Egyptian legacy." James' central message was that Greek achievements were based on a deliberate and systematic plundering of Black Egyptian ideas. James asserted that his book offered a "New Philosophy of Redemption for Black peoples."
The polemic offered has a strong message from the outset; "The term Greek philosophy, to begin with is a misnomer, for there is no such philosophy in existence." James had a political message, calling on Black people to stop citing Greek philosophers and to resign from sororities, fraternities and other institutions that honoured Ancient Greece.
Although James presented his views as a serious scholarly work, with many references and translations from ancient texts, his pseudohistory becomes apparent when looked at more closely. Mary Lefkowitz, Professor of Classics at Wellseley College and author of "Not out of Africa. How Afrocentrism became an excuse to teach myth as History." has provided several in-depth critiques into how James' methodology and factual assertions are deeply flawed. Some of her main points include:
Despite the proven inaccuracies of its core premise, Afrocentrism continues
to thrive, and indeed continues to offer up some controversial ideas on history
and on racial differences. The "Stolen legacy" theory has been embellished
by James' followers, most notably Dr. Yosef A.A. ben-Jochannan, who has claimed
that Aristotle was educated in Egypt and stole entire libraries from the Egyptian
Mysteries system. He and others have accused those who have pointed out James'
many inaccuracies and errors of "white racism".
Leonard Jeffries at City University of New York teaches a version of history that focuses on "sun people" and "ice people"; with the sun people being co-operative, collective and peace-loving, and non-black ice people being competitive, individualistic and exploitative.
Speaking in Time in 1993, Jeffries offers this theory:
“We’re not talking about superiority and inferiority, but we’re
talking about the important factor of melanin. It allows us (blacks who have
more melanin and are thus the superior "sun people" over the inferior
white "ice people") to negotiate the vibrations of the universe and
to deal with the ultraviolet rays of the sun. There's a mixture of DNA, RNA,
and there's a not-too-understood question of melanin, the organized molecule,
in the beginning."
In addition to Afrocentrism in higher education,there has been a concerted effort to raise an Afrocentrist agenda in educating African-American children. Whilst on first appraisal this may seem a valid objective it raises many questions. What are the specifically African values that Afrocentrist seek to transmit? Does this therefore mean that other people have different or less worthy values? Can a whole continent be viewed as having a homogeneous identity or belief system? If one were to replace Black with White in some terms (e.g. as a preface to pride, values or world) would it be acceptable?
In America a feast has been invented by Maulana Karenga called Kwanzaa, to sit alongside Christmas and Hannukah; which involves teaching swahili words and naming what Appiah terms "allegedly African values". The use of Swahiili may be seen to be ironic, as hardly any of the slaves brought to the New World would have known it. In this unanamism-the treating of an entire continent as a homogenous group-there is a stereotyping that most would wish to avoid.
The subjugation of Black people in American History is real and proven. The achievements of the Civil rights movement is also real and proven. A movement that is based on a misrepresentation of history serves no purpose for either historical truth...
"I will state unequivocally that i have the greatest respect for ancient Egypt and its civilisation. But I also believe that the ancient Greeks deserve full credit for their own achievements." (Lefkowitz).
or humankind:
"The proper response to Eurocentrism is surely not a reactive Afrocentrism, but a new understanding that humanizes us all by learning to think beyond race." (Appiah)
