Investigated relationships between perceived attractiveness, facial features, and African self-consciousness (ASC) among 149 African American college students. As predicted, high ASC subjects used more positive adjectives in descriptions of strong African facial features than did medium or low ASC subjects. Results are discussed in the context of…

Provides several viewpoints on whether black studies departments are considered academically respectable or prestigious if they take a separatist or Afrocentrist approach to the study of black history and culture. Additionally, the article examines whether certain areas of black research are dismissed because they are considered scholarly unsound.…

The Afrocentric theories of Molefi Kete Asante are examined as they relate to drama. It is argued that the fundamental principle in understanding African-American drama rests on viewing it as a means of total creation deriving power from the interaction of the self, the community, and the cosmos. (SLD)

In "On the Desirability of Own-Group Preference" (1993), Michael L. Penn, Stanley O. Gaines, and Layli Phillips argue that misguided and mythical ideal of racial-social integration in America is the only reasonable and effective foundation for real African empowerment in American society. Serious intellectual battle will be required to…

Focuses on the relationship between racial identity and academic achievement for African American college students. Results with 248 students suggest that racial centrality moderates the relationship between the two so that assimilation and nationalist ideologies are negatively associated with grade point average (GPA) and a minority ideology is…

Two reasons African American females do not pursue science careers are the need for immediate employment and lack of tools to negotiate the racism and sexism that undermine their aspirations for success. This article describes intervention strategies in an Afrocentric school and a medical magnet school that encourage African American girls to…

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…

It is traditional among some peoples of the world to celebrate an individual's coming-of-age with ritual. Through these ceremonies, and the tests which sometimes accompany them, a society socializes its youth and transforms them inwardly by molding their moral and mental disposition. Without such ritualization there is a breakdown in the…

Huggins' report lacks serious data collection on college Black Studies Departments, omits the strongest ones, fails to record their history accurately, and does not assess the research achievements of its scholars. Huggins overlooks the importance of applying an Afro-centric perspective to phenomena related to people of African descent. (PS)

Explores how theories of Afrocentricity can affect the arrangement of knowledge and the dissemination of information in libraries. Various aspects of cataloging are discussed, including controlled vocabularies, computer applications, and classification schemes; historical collections are reviewed; and examples of problems with Library of Congress…

Wisconsin State Representative Polly Williams talks about the results of the Milwaukee Education Choice bill which enables 400 socioeconomic-disadvantaged children to attend private innercity schools under a voucher system. High attendance rates and college bound rates are attributed to an African-centered curriculum, parental involvement, and…

Language planners assert that languages are tools that can be transformed into resources and managed by states through elaboration of language policies to be carried out through language planning. Language planning is explored from the Afrocentric point of view, considering it as part of pro-Western propaganda. (SLD)

Six articles in this feature section emphasize the value of African dance in all levels of education. The articles address aspects of African dance ranging from its historical and philosophical underpinnings to applications from the elementary to the college level. (SM)

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)