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1: Genealogy of Black Thought and Intellect

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  • Page ID
    181526

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    Learning Objectives
    • Students will compare and contrast the ideas of several Black studies activists, scholars, and organizations from the 19th century to the present.
    • Students will identify and classify key debates within the field of Black Studies.

    Introduction

    This chapter will introduce Black Studies as an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field of study that examines the social, cultural, and historical realities of people of African descent in the diaspora and on the African continent. Although Black Studies is primarily associated with programs and departments at colleges and universities, it has flourished outside the academy. It has been an intellectual and organizing force within the Black freedom movement. Black Studies practitioners have tended to be scholars and activists deeply committed to changing, improving, and transforming the conditions for Black people in the United States and worldwide. This chapter will explore the broad historical circumstances responsible for creating the African diaspora and examine how that history has shaped Black Studies as an intellectual project and a movement for Black liberation. Building on the insights of historian Scot Brown, this chapter will

    1. Examine the relationship between how global African community developments informed and shaped the Black Studies tradition,
    2. How Black Studies developed into a movement, and
    3. How the Black Studies movement cultivated its institutions to carry out its mission.

    • 1.1: Context and Foundations
      This page discusses the April 2017 roundtable at the University of Toronto focusing on Black Studies as an interdisciplinary project for liberation. Scholars Afua Cooper and Rinaldo Walcott, along with Fred Moten and Robin D.G. Kelley, emphasized the movement's roots in social activism, critiquing the gap between student activism and academia. They encouraged students to engage critically with universities to utilize their resources for self-radicalization and social transformation.
    • 1.2: Key Theorists, Movements, and Principles
      This page discusses key historical figures like David Walker and Frederick Douglass, who critiqued American values in light of slavery, influencing the Black Radical Tradition. It also addresses how European colonial narratives misrepresented Africa, ignoring its rich history and cultural contributions.
    • 1.3: Positions in the Field
      This page explores the historical link between racial capitalism and chattel slavery, starting with enslaved Africans in Portugal and highlighting the role of slavery in shaping modern capitalism in the Americas. It notes that profits from enslaved labor financed various industries, including education, with early U.S. universities benefiting financially from slavery.
    • 1.4: Opportunities and Possibilities
      This page examines the evolution of Black Studies, highlighting early influential figures such as David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Carter G. Woodson. It discusses key initiatives like the Free African Society, the African Free School, and scholarly contributions from W.E.B. Du Bois and Monroe Work, which advocated for racial uplift.
    • 1.5: Futurity
      This page discusses the origins of Negro History Week, initiated in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson to honor Black achievements and promote awareness of their history. Coinciding with the birthdays of Lincoln and Douglass, it laid the groundwork for Black History Month, which gained national prominence in 1976 following student advocacy. The involvement of Black women was significant in both its development and its community influence.
    • 1.6: Key Terms
      This page discusses key concepts in social systems and ideologies, including abolition, the Black Radical Tradition, chattel slavery, and racial capitalism. It explores the Nazi notion of Herrenvolk, medieval feudalism, and the impact of interdisciplinary studies. Additionally, it addresses indigenous origins and contrasts polytheism with monotheism in belief systems.
    • 1.7: Instructor Resources
      This page includes user interface labels and messages from the MindTouch platform, related to guide tab management and learning path settings. It features prompts for deleting tabs, warnings about character limits, and confirmation dialogues for removing paths. Action-oriented labels like "Cancel," "Delete tab," and "Remove path" emphasize user engagement and customization options. Overall, it centers on interactive elements to enhance user experience within the platform.

    Thumbnail: Frederick Douglass (Public Domain; Wikimedia Commons via picryl.com)

    This page titled 1: Genealogy of Black Thought and Intellect is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Amiri Mahnzili (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)) .