From Nationalism to Afrocentrism - Literature review Example

FROM NATIONALISM TO AFROCENTRISM In the late 1700’s, there originated an ideology among the Black intellectuals and entrepreneurs, known as theBlack Nationalism or Black Separatism. In the 1960’s and early 70’s, it rose as a political and social movement among the African Americans in the United States as a variety of racial nationalism. Most commonly, the origins of this movement are associated with Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association of the 1920’s. The UNIA aims at applying economic power aiming to infuse a sense of community and group feeling among the Africans abroad, as well as those at home. Though the main ambition is the future of Africa, some Black Nationalists are intent upon the eventual creation of a separate black nation by African Americans. This essay will try to look into the different views and analyze the factors that led Black Nationalism to Afrocentrism. The political theory or the set of beliefs behind this movement was that the African Americans should maintain their political, social and economic institutions separate from the White Americans. Spanning over the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, the Black Nationalists have agreeably defined two principles namely; the racial separatism and black pride. The Nationalists call upon black pride seeking a racial unity that is racially based, rather than being grounded in a specific African culture or ethnicity. The purpose of this movement was to unite the people of African descendants and create a modern national state in Africa. Black Nationalism can also said to be based upon Pan-Africanism, a perspective that emerged as a byproduct of the institution of slavery. The slaves of diverse linguistic and tribal background were deliberately mixed by the slaveholders; so as to minimize their ability to communicate and make common cause. Not only that; the African slaves were forced to bridge ethnic differences and form themselves into a single group. Afrocentric Movement Afrocentrism is the belief that the Black people’s African ancestry is an inescapable element of their lives. It has not only been a long disputed controversy but also a popular movement in the black community across America. It encourages the black Americans to embrace the empowering vision of their African ancestors, especially the Egyptians. The supporters of Egyptocentrism link the ancient Egyptian ancestry and the heritage of the pharaohs to Black Americans. Influenced by different mythologies; Afrocentrism, Egyptocentrism and Black Nationalism are not only separate, but sometimes conflicting movements in the popular history of African Americans. The Afrocentric tradition had its complex origins in the enlightenment of Christianity and the eighteenth century Black resistance to White supremacy. And though the Blacks were forbidden to learn reading and writing, they created an oral mythology which was fed by the African and European sources, glorifying and romanticizing ancient Egypt. They tried to draw links between the Black Africans and the black population of America. But unlike the rest of the population, the African American clergy preferred to identify with the Biblical Hebrews rather than the pagan pharaohs. The Black Americans feel that they have been betrayed not only by priests and the missionaries, but also by education and the structure of knowledge which was imposed upon them by the Western world. The African Americans often blame their own leaders who were more than ready to imitate the habits and behaviours of Europeans. Furthermore, they consider themselves people who have been cheated upon by the contemporary humans. Afrocentricity aims at helping the Africans to rise and meet any challenge and recover leadership, respectability and accountability. It aims at helping them to have their own thoughts, which have nothing to do with the enslaving thoughts of people who want racial domination. Views on Afrocentrism Molefe Kete Asante The Afrocentric movement started after the publication of Asante’s first book ‘Afrocencrity: The Theory of Social Change’ in 1980. He founded the movement to examine traces of isolation, displacement and confusion among the black Americans, since their arrival in the United States as slaves. The system of slavery denied the Africans of their uniqueness, their heritage and most importantly their humanness, which is totally opposed to a stable society where differences should be respected. Later, in his book in 1987 ‘The Afrocentric Idea’ Asante further indicated that Afrocentrism proposes not only a different framework, but also a new perspective of understanding the human behaviour. He promoted the spiritual balance as the key to an Afrocentric ideal in America, which is crucial to the African-American identity. According to Afrocentrism, the American economic system has failed to deliver its goods equitably not because of some imperfection in the African people, but this system, which has worked quite well; was designed to marginalize the African American community as well as the other ethnic populations. The African Americans want a fundamental change in the way they are perceived. But on the other hand, the African American conservatives argue that in order to become fully functioning citizens of the United States, the African American population needs to acquire the values and habits of the White population. In an effort to acquaint the new generation of African Americans with their past glory and to have pride and dignity, Asante works as a consultant in many city school districts, rewriting the public school curriculum. He believes that by incorporating the elements of African culture and history into the general study of arts, science, religion and politics, the students of color can feel more connected and responsive to the school curriculum. Inclusion of the Afrocentric perspective in the school curriculum would also prove beneficial for the students to understand race relations and the racially diverse world they all are living in. In Ketes views, the negative and distorted understanding of the Afrocentic idea are rooted in the way the society sees the Africans. And all those who reject this idea are not necessarily racists, but rather fail to appreciate the objectives. These people are basically seduced by the structural elements of the hierarchical society, which fails to understand and recognize the African agency. He believes that the people throughout the world are beginning to understand the idea of Afrocentrism. Though many critics believe that Asante’s views are inflammatory in nature, especially when he says that Europe is the source of evil and Africa of all good. Stephen Howe Issues concerning Afrocentrism have been raised especially in the United States of America, during the recent years. Howe blames the Afrocentric movement of reproducing the outmoded Euro- racist scholarship features, because it has offered a fictional history of Africa and ideas that centre on ancient Egypt. The colonial and racist Eurocentric bias has distorted or blocked for centuries, the histories and cultures of the Africans. The greatest challenge to that bias has been the intellectual transformations of the late twentieth century. But another challenge that has arisen alongside this bias; is the mythological proclamation of the supremacy of the peoples of African descent. Howe, in Afrocentrism very closely traces the ancestries of this movement by analyzing the writings of the leading advocates like the legendary Senegalese historian Cheikh Anta Diop and Molefi Asante. In its wide ranging historical research, both of Africa and Afro-America, Afrocentrism not only annihilates the mythical history which is taught by the black ultra-nationalists but also delineates the true historical consciousness of Africa. He argues that Afrocentrism offers no strategies which could help alleviate poverty of the black people; or change the world. He believes that the African Americans need to be provided with correct and accurate historical information and not fantasy. Afrocentrism has become the focal point over the issues of multiculturalism and political correctness in government policies, media, education as well as the public sphere. The public controversy around this issue has made its way into the school level education, based on what they should be taught of the histories and beliefs of the various social groups constituting the population of the United States. These cultural wars between the Black Americans and Whites during the recent years have focused round rival versions of Americanism. It has become more of we are the world syndrome rather than the criticism and advocacy of educational multiculturalism. Howe is of the view that Afrocentrism; rather than being a cure, is the root cause of the desperate political and economic problems of the African Americans. Clarence E. Walker Afrocentrism has generated a lot of hostile literature during the recent past. Professor Walker in his book, ‘We Can’t Go Home Again,’ cites Afrocentrism as an important therapeutic, reactionary and a racist mythology. He suggests that since the time of the pharaohs, nothing important has happened in the black history, thus trivializing the history of the Black Americans. Walker encourages the Black Americans to discard Afrocentrism and describes it as devoid of historical accuracy. His book raised some eyebrows in the Black circle but he claims that if some people believe that the world was created by the black, doesn’t make it so. Afrocentrism emphasizes on Egypt while Walker believes that there is no evidence of the Egyptians being black, and is only a therapy that misdirects the African American youth for the lack of their self respect. He argues that supporting such ideas would further confuse the African youth. He claims that the Black people unlike today are different from the past and belong to African descent and not Africa. Afrocentrism in his view suggests that the whole of the African continent has one culture. He says that ones origins are less important as compared to what we do with them; by taking responsibility. Walker is highly impatient with people who do not think critically. Walker supports his argument by claiming that the ancient Egyptians were a mixture of ethnic groups and not just blacks. It’s just a myth of the past attempting to get hold of the problems which are being faced by the present day black racial society. The modern identity of black Americans is the result of old history spanning over centuries. The Africans along with their descendants created new hybrid cultures by mixing many ethnic African influences with native and European elements. Afrocentrism does not empower the understanding of the past of black Americans but denies them the power and dignity which can be attained only by an honest understanding of their real history. In Walkers view, the Afrocnetist movement is basically designed to give the Africans a sense of community. For him, it is simply bad history which substitutes for the feel-good myth of the past, and is only trying to get hold of the problems which are being confronted by the blacks; living in a racist society. The identity of the modern black Americans is the result of centuries of real history because by mixing many elements of Europeans and other ethnic groups, the Africans and their descendants created new hybrid cultures. He argues that history is controversial but it has all sorts of implications for the present in the way it is read, and what is really needed by the black people is a usable present not a usable past. Conclusion Currently, Black Nationalism, Afrocentrism and Egyptocentrism has been criticized as a contradiction to the quest of the African Americans to gain political and economic equality. But historically speaking, these beliefs were devised to show why the African Americans should be assimilated into the White mainstream American society. On deeper analysis, we realize that creating a monumental past for one’s race or nationality is not only restricted to Afrocentrism as there is a fancy among Englishmen who often prefer themselves as the descendants of the Trojan heroes rather than the crude barbarians. In search of a cultural anchor in the US history, the African Americans have embraced different versions of Afrocentrism. The terminology used to define race today is especially designed to politicize the issue and confuse the public opinion. Afrocentrism strongly views that the discrimination racial, gender or class discrimination and exploitation should be condemned forthright and outright. It is a critique on domination, hierarchy and patriarchy because analysis stems from all forms of oppression. To some degree of success the Afrocentric movement has revised, critiqued and analyzed the biased and most certainly, the racist presentation of Africa by the European historians. But the movement continues to grow in influence and importance and no matter what one thinks of its contents, it has an increasing degree of popular acceptance today, by a large audience throughout the world. This movements aims at repairing the damage caused over centuries of mistreatment the Africans have endured, at the hands of the European society. It aims to show the Africans how to see reality from their own history and to follow their own historical traditions. ______________________________________ BIBLIOGRAPHY Asante, Kete Molefi.1980. Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. Amulefi, Third Edition, African World Press. Howe, Stephen. 1998. Afrocentrism: Mythical Pasts and Imagined Homes. New York: Verso, Pp.337. Walker, E. Clarence. 2001. We Cant Go Home Again: An Argument about Afrocentrism. By New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Pp.172. ISBN 0-19-509571-5. ______________________________________ Read More