Reviews Maulana Karenga's "Introduction to Black Studies" (1982). Discusses the academic and social relevance of the discipline and its growth out of economic, political, and historical forces. Concurs with Karenga's Afrocentric approach but notes the difficulties in its implementation within the current academic climate. (GC)

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…

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)

Explores implications of defining the primary problems of African Americans as those faced by males, questioning whether this approach places African-American men and women in conflict. Considers how social problems are constructed. Image formation and manipulation of social issues may contribute to the perception of African-American women as…