Encyclopedia of Black Studies

Click 'Additional Materials' for downloadable samples The Encyclopedia of Black Studies is the leading reference source for dynamic and innovative research on the Black experience. The concept for the encyclopedia was developed from the successful Journal of Black Studies (SAGE) and contains a full analysis of the economic, political, sociological, historical, literary, and philosophical issues related to Americans of African descent. This single-volume reference is the vanguard of the recent explosive growth in quality scholarship in the field. More than a chronicle of black culture or black people, this encyclopedia deals with the emergence and maturity of an intellectual field over the past four decades. Beginning with the protests at San Francisco State College in 1967 that led to the first degree-granting department of Black Studies, the field's rapid growth over time necessitates an authoritative account of the discipline. More than ever scholars and students need a clear conception of what the evolutionary processes have been in the creation and maintenance of the discipline. Chronology of Important Events in Black Studies 1966 Merritt College Black Studies Courses 1967 San Francisco State University Protests 1968 San Francisco State University Black Studies Program Established 1969 Cornell University students seize student center to protest harassment of African American Students 1970 University of California, Los Angeles opens Center for Afro American Studies 1969 Robert Singleton and Molefi Asante creates Journal of Black Studies 1972 National Black Political Convention of Gary, Indiana 1974 National Council of Black Studies founded 1982 Maulana Karenga's Introduction to Black Studies published 1983 Mae Jemison who received majored in Black Studies and engineering is made the first African American female astronaut. 1986 Cheikh Anta Diop makes his transition 1988 Temple University approves doctoral program in African American Studies created by Molefi Kete Asante 1988 Toni Morrison wins Pulitzer Prize for Beloved 1990 Adeniyi Coker receives first Ph.D. in African American Studies 1992 Harvard University seeks "Dream Team" in African American Studies 1995 More than a million black men march in Washington, DC 1997 Phile Chionesu and Barbara Smith bring one million women to Philadelphia Key Features More than 240 signed articles by nearly 200 scholars, organized A to Z, with coverage spanning the social sciences Edited by the founder and current editor of the Journal of Black Studies Reader's Guide facilitates browsing by topic and easy access to information Contains numerous illustrative charts, sidebars, and historical photographs Appendices with listings of doctoral granting programs, major journals in the field, and professional and scholarly associations Master Bibliography Key Themes * Afrocentricity * Annual Conferences * Anti-Racism * Arts * Associations and Organizations * Books * Campus Politics * Civil Rights * Classical Africa * Concepts * Culture * Departmental Histories * Films * Institutions * Intellectual Schools * Journals * Legal Issues * Movements * Newspapers * Political Issues * Professional Organizations * Publishers * Racism * Religion * Reparations * Research Centers * Resistance * Theories * United States Constitution Editorial Board Dr. Troy Allen, Southern University Dr. S.B. Assensoh, Indiana University Dr. Katherine Olukemi Bankole, West Virginia University Professor Leroy Bryant, Chicago State University Dr. Patricia Dixon, Georgia State University Howard Dodson, New York Public Library Dr. Lewis Gordon, Brown University Dr. Winston Van Horne, University of Wisconsin Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems, University of Missouri-Columbia Dr. Charles Jones, Georgia State University Dr. Maulana Karenga, California State University, Long Beach Dr. Manning Marable, Columbia University Dr. Miriam Monges, California State University, Chico Dr. Wade Nobles, San Francisco State University Dr. Emeka Nwadiora, Temple University Dr. James Turner, Cornell University

About the Author :
Molefi Asante is a distinguished scholar and is best known for creating the discipline of Black Studies over 25 years ago.  He is the Editor for the Journal of Black Studies (Sage) and the Encyclopedia of Black Studies (Sage Reference, 12/04  933 units, $82k LTD).  His recent research has centered on the history and present developments of African religions.

Review :
"The book has an explanatory preface and excellent introduction that summarizes black studies for those unfamiliar with the field.  Most of the articles provide a short bibliography of further reading for those seeking more in-depth knowledge. ...This is a required text for large public libraries and all academic libraries.  It provides a thorough understanding of and easy reference into a growing, dynamic field of study." "Asante and the group originally centered at Temple University are credited with formalizing the discipline of Black Studies in the United States and make up most of the authors of this volume." "Black studies has long needed this work to deflect and answer questions from critics and supporters. The editors set out to establish a baseline for understanding the field, to try in a work admittedly in progress to define the most commonly used ideas and concepts. . . . This work can be particularly helpful to scholars in tangentially related fields, helping them to know how black studies specialists define certain terms and concepts." Asante offers students and educators an alternative perspective to the Eurocentric approach of the traditional college curriculum. Instead of interpreting social, political, historical and religious phenomena through the lenses of Western eyes, Afrocentricity seeks to identify the African place in such events. Emphasizing symbols, motifs, rituals and signs, this theory celebrates African cultural elements in all areas of life. . . . this formulation of the central ideas of an important group of scholars will be a valuable addition to many academic collections.