Cultural, political, and ideological movement. Most Afrocentrists are African Americans who regard all blacks as syncretic Africans and who believe that their worldview should positively reflect traditional African values. Afrocentrists argue that for centuries blacks and other nonwhites have been dominated, through slavery and colonization, by Europeans and that European culture is either irrelevant or hostile to efforts by non-Europeans to achieve self-determination. Rooted in historical black nationalist movements such as
Ethiopianism,
Pan-Africanism, and
Negritude, Afrocentrism asserts the cultural primacy of ancient Egypt and is seen as a spur to political activism. In addition to emphasizing cooperation and spirituality, it champions contemporary African American expressive culture (language, cuisine, music, dance, and clothing). Coined by Molefi Asante in the 1980s, the term Afrocentrism was popularized by such books as
Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization, 2 vol. (1987 – 91), by Martin Bernal. The book remains controversial among mainstream scholars who charge it with historical inaccuracy, scholarly ineptitude, and racism — prompting countercharges of racism from some of its defenders.
For more information on Afrocentrism, visit Britannica.com.
