Methodologies VI: Methodology Manifesto

Africana studies has the singular history of being a field that is both personal and academic. It is a field where possibility and malleability reign supreme. For students whose vocational education purposely and systematically excluded the histories, literature, and art of Africana peoples, Africana studies could serve as a second education, a (hopefully) diasporic family history.  For students who have grown up in predominantly white spaces, Africana programs have the capacity to serve as a quest for a reimagined and realized black self. The field has transformative power as it is the reflection of self, the world, and it’s future. However it’s this mixture of the personal and academic that has proved to be both the field’s point of success and failure.

Like many of the scholars who pondered the future of Africana studies, I too feel that Africana studies, as I’ve experienced it, has focused excessively on deconstructing white supremacist and hegemonic thought and practice (Rabaka, Africana Critical Theory). For survey courses in the discipline this focus on deconstruction is not only important but also necessary.  However, the study should move past this stasis. As students plunge deeper into the field, the focus should also deepen. I suggest that courses include the radical thought that is explored in black feminism and womanism, modern articles/videos/and or movements (digital or otherwise), or rarely called upon texts that complicate or reformulate daily black life.

Furthermore Africana study both in survey and major courses need to incorporate an international narrative. Here I do not mean a simple additive course of action that tokenizes Afro-Latino, Afro-European, and African thought (Higginbotham, Designing an Inclusive Curriculum). I mean an infusing of various scholars from these regions at the inception of Africana education. Because Africana studies is the intersection of the personal and the political, American institutions often have ignored or bypassed other texts because they see them as irrelevant to their national narrative. We must not only be cognizant of this failing but also realize that our experiences are a part of a larger dialogue. If Africana studies wishes to continue being the transformative field it is, it must implement this change. This would inhibit our theories from being too Americentric and would encourage future endeavors to truly encapsulate the African diaspora. It would also even cover the aforementioned point of finding new/radical thinkers instead of regurgitation of ‘classic texts’.

And we can’t stop there. As Africana is an interdisciplinary field, its reach should even extend to quantitative data. Similar to Psychological Statistics, an Africana Studies and Statistics course would teach not only the formulation of numbers but also the ways in which statistics are manipulated in various studies in relation to Africana peoples. The class would effectively prepare students to use this quantitative practice in future research, and further integrate Africana studies in other quantitatively drive fields.

Ultimately I’m calling for a breath of new life into the field. An understanding of the passage of time and shortcomings that feeds the future of Africana studies. We need to incorporate black women, international radical thought, quantitative study, digital media, sex and sexuality, and the arts as all necessary and integral subjects to this field. I’m calling for the cessation of additive education in favor of whole-hearted inclusion. For we are not where we were when Africana Studies began. We should no longer centralize white theory and black male radicalism in our work. As we are expanding our community our study should too. We must move past deconstruction in order to build lasting education for our youth.

Word count: 589

Works Cited

Higginbotham, Elizabeth. “Designing an Inclusive Curriculum: Bringing All Women Into the Core,” Words of Fire. Print. The New Press: New York, NY. 1995.  480

Rabaka, Reiland. “Africana Critical Theory: Overcoming the Aversion to New Theory and New Praxis in Africana Studies and Critical Social Theory”.

 

Tags: ,

54,326 Responses to “Methodologies VI: Methodology Manifesto”

  1. wibu69 slot says:

    Situs Slot Gacor yang dapat Meemberikan kemenangan hingga mencapai 97% yaitu Situs wibu69 slot ini hadir Memberikan Maxwin siapa saja yang bermain Slot Online.

  2. I am impressed by the content you have.
    Russian escorts in Delhi

  3. Some times its a pain in the ass to read what blog owners wrote but this site is rattling user friendly ! . Also visit my 바둑이사이트 website

  4. TRADESIA says:

    Raih Keberuntunganmu Bersama TRADESIA

  5. Artikel yang sangat bermanfaat, terutama bagi yang ingin memperdalam pengetahuannya. jasa penerjemah china

  6. I cannot wait to dig deep and kickoff utilizing resources that I received from you. Your exuberance is refreshing.

  7. Materi yang dibahas sangat lengkap dan mendalam. Jasa Anti Rayap Jakarta Utara

  8. TEMPOTOTO says:

    TEMPOTOTO SITE provides quality professional customer service which is an important point. Trusted online agents and sites provide responsive customer support, providing fast assistance and effective solutions to any questions or problems that arise. I really like it, and I look forward to hearing from you next. Thank you for the information regarding the most popular news today this year. For more complete information, please visit our website for further information TEMPOTOTO the largest and most trusted online game site in Asia.

  9. IBETWIN says:

    IBETWIN Ibetwin Situs Taruhan Online Terbaik di Indonesia

  10. wibu69 says:

    Situs wibu69 adalah Link judi slot gacor resmi salah satu situs slot gacor hari ini yang memberikan game slot gacor maxwin Situs wibu69.

  11. Artikel ini benar-benar menggugah pemikiran. WHALE Belt Fasteners

  12. dewahoki303 says:

    Dewahoki303 Siap melayani 1x24jam dengan cepat, Hubungi Kami Jika Anda Memiliki Kendala Apapun.
    Dewahoki303 Live Chat 24 JAM DEWAHOKI303

  13. briansclub says:

    “””Interesting article! It’s intriguing to see how platforms like briansclub cm are shaping the landscape of online transactions. Their commitment to security and reliability is commendable, offering users peace of mind in an increasingly digital world.”””

  14. TEMPOTOTO says:

    As a trusted agent for SITE TEMPOTOTO in Indonesia, this site will also share experiences playing the best online slot games, especially for online slot games which are definitely easy to win, the best and most trusted with lots of benefits. benefit. I really like it, and I look forward to hearing from you next. Thank you for the information regarding the most popular news today this year. For more complete information, please visit our website for further information TEMPOTOTO the largest and most trusted online game site in Asia.

  15. GACOR77 says:

    Slot games are games that are full of excitement and also entertain the players. If you want to play slot games full of excitement, only on our website https://jurnal.stainidaeladabi.ac.id/styles/pages/

  16. aquax bet says:

    I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from someone as knowledgeable as you.

  17. akom says:

    jedelo ,
    captivating.

  18. akom says:

    jedelo ,
    Merci d’avoir partagé cette information avec nous

  19. Anon says:

    escort girl abidjan ,
    Thanks for sharing valuable content from in this blog

  20. Very appreciated post. Thank you for sharing this post with us.

  21. I like this kind of content and i think that it’s very informative!

  22. Sangat suka dengan cara penulis menyampaikan ide-idenya, sangat inspiratif. jasa penerjemah belanda

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.