Thomas Kuhn's 1962 groundbreaking work, "The Scientific Revolution," established the process for creating, and the components of, a disciplinary paradigm. This "scientific revolution" has evolved to become the standard for determining a field's claim to disciplinary status. In 2001 and 2003, Ama Mazama, used Kuhn's model to establish the…

This integrative review uses two of Asa Grant Hilliard's books, "SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind" and "The Maroon Within Us: Selected Essays on African American Community Socialization", to discuss aspects of his scholarly legacy in teaching, history, and psychology. His scholarship is provocative. Hilliard rejected the supremacy of the…

Black Studies is increasingly being shaped and defined for Blacks rather than by Blacks. Black Studies scholars must adopt a position apart from, outside, or in critique of the established paradigm of Eurocentric scholarship, and operate within an Afrocentric historical paradigm. (BJV)

Argues that traditional sociology has treated Black studies as peripheral to the study of human behavior. Proposes a paradigm that includes an emphasis on Afrocentric perspective and a methodology that combines positivist and critical methodologies. (FMW)

Examines the scope of African American studies, its origins, and its development and autonomy as an academic discipline. The meaning of Afrocentrism, the concept of centrism that lies at the core of the discipline of African American studies, the Africalogical method of criticism, and what constitutes the mission of Africalogy are discussed. (GR)

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)

According to Knowles (1980), adults come to the learning environment when they are ready. His concept of andragogy is based on these assumptions: changes in self-concept, the role of experience, readiness to learn, and orientation to learning. Increasing concern has been placed upon the need to address the multiple cultural needs of learners and…

Examines questions of constructing a unified theory in Black Studies, and proposes a model that has explained creole language phenomena as a possible basis for such a unified theory. Explores the role of African languages in the formation of creole patterns. (SLD)

A model for a proposed African-American studies discipline is based on the assumptions that African-American experiences are worth studying, historical experiences of peoples of African descent can inform others about human issues, and distinctive historic and cultural African-American experiences exist. Five steps in a African-American studies…

Defines the theory of the Afrocentric conception, and comments on Afrocentric research methodology. The Afrocentric conception is likely to succeed if it constructs a particularist theory in contrast to cross-cultural relativism and because it relies on the methodology of the absolute rather than the comparative. (SLD)

Attempts to define a paradigm that helps shape the African-American studies discipline, and argues that emphasis must be placed on generating practical and emancipatory knowledge. African-American studies is a necessary discipline if Afrocentric scholars are to be generated who have a commitment to being scholar activists. (SLD)