The works of over 75 communication scholars have consistently traced the markers of communication in African American life. There exists a complex and varied corpus that is necessarily interdisciplinary and multifarious in perspectives and context. The space(s) is theirs to define and, perhaps, to claim. Such studies may reward scholars most when…

This paper examines the implications of "Afrocentricity" for intercultural communication education. The paper's task is fourfold. First, it provides the meaning of Afrocentricity as an interpretive and corrective episteme; next, it examines Afrocentricity as context for civility in intercultural communication education; third, it provides a brief…

This paper considers fundamental questions raised in the current debate about Afrocentric research methods in the social sciences. The discussion covers feminist, critical theory, radical humanist, radical structuralist, ethnographic, naturalistic inquiry, constructivism, and phenomenological inquiry approaches to research. The working definition…

This study used participant observation, student interviews, reflective journals, and discussions with faculty members and administrators to examine multicultural aspects at an historically black college. It reviews three theoretical approaches: (1) the theory of John Ogbu, which classifies minority groups in the United States as either voluntary…

This paper explores a facet of the organizational implications of an Afrocentric perspective in American education, primarily in public schools. It also explores, through two focus groups, the perceptions of 10 African-American school administrators and 10 teachers in a graduate education supervision class. The focus groups made it clear that the…

Reviews the history of African-American studies and explores its future. Three groups of scholarly practitioners in African-American studies are discussed as (1) traditionalists; (2) authentists and/or Afrocentrists; and (3) African-American feminists. Contributions of each group are examined, and the role of each in the future is considered. (SLD)

Advocates a framework for African-American development and awareness in which African-American studies will play a decisive role in debate surrounding multiculturalism. Multiculturalism and African-American studies must be articulated within a general theory of educational democracy. African-American studies must also become a projection of what…

A study examined whether the adoption of an Afrocentric textbook at a historically Black university motivated freshman composition students to read, write, and think. Subjects, 911 out of 1,305 students who completed English 002 during the 1991-92 academic year at Howard University, completed surveys regarding the textbook "Revelations: An…

One of the main problems with higher education is that curriculums, both past and present, objectify and marginalize the experiences of people of color and thus reduce diversity in the graduate and professional school populations. African American, Asians, Hispanics, and other minorities are studied in many college-level classes only as an…

Discusses the maintenance and future of African-American studies within the context of contemporary intellectual ideas. The institutionalization of African-American studies and the creation of the first doctoral program in African-American studies at Temple University in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) marked the flowering of the discipline. (SLD)

The Pan African Studies Institute for Teachers is a year-long, 9-credit hour sequence of college courses and related follow-up activities designed to prepare educators for the implementation of an anti-racist, Afrocentric curriculum. This paper outlines a conceptual and historical framework within which the institute may be understood and assesses…

The extent to which African American faculty provide support and mentoring to African American students determines the ease of students' transition to predominantly white colleges. This paper examines the role of both white and African American faculty in responding to the needs of African American students. Two ways that white institutions…

Schools fail to meet the schooling needs of many nonwhite students. Afrocentricity, a new curricular movement that looks through African eyes, focuses on improving schooling experiences for African-Americans. Some proponents view it as an answer to African-American student underachievement and say it enhances self-esteem, achievement levels,…