AfricaBib 
bibliographic database
| Previous page | New search |
The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here
 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Revolution has no use for savants: a Fenno-Egyptian view of Afrocentrism |
| Author: | Masonen, Pekka |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Periodical: | Afrique & histoire |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | 169-208 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Africa |
| Subjects: | African culture historiography |
| Abstract: | Western historians are often accused of maintaining a distorted 'Eurocentric' view of the world. Many of the key concepts, principles of periodization, and the ways in which the significance of the past are estimated by historians worldwide still reflect the Western tradition. Is there any alternative way to study the human past without giving up the ideal of objectivity as it is conventionally associated with (Western) scientific research? Afrocentrism aims to be such an alternative. Afrocentric authors claim that the Western methods cannot be used objectively in the context of African history. The problem of Afrocentrism is that it fails to take the decisive step to construct its own methodology. Afrocentric authors pretend that they use similar methods to those used by their enemies, the Eurocentric historians, while reserving the right to break the rules whenever it is necessary to support their own cause. However, it would be a grave mistake to reject Afrocentrism simply as bad scholarship. A way to understand Afrocentrism is to consider it a special category of unconventional history - or 'apohistory' - and a political movement. An interesting historical parallel to Afrocentrism is the intellectual movement called Fennomania in Finnish national historiography in the early 20th century. Fennomania also emphasized the subjectivity of historical research and the importance of history in creating national consciousness and ethnic identity. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English, French and Finnish. [Journal abstract, edited] |
