The end of Black studies: Conceptual, theoretical, and empirical concerns

Authors

• Clovis E. Semmes, Eastern Michigan University

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2017

Department/School

African American Studies

Abstract

Following a history of racial oppression and segregation, Black Americans were able to move in greater numbers into previously all- or predominantly-White colleges and universities. However, they encountered normative structures that excluded or distorted the Black experience and denied Black perspectives. As a result, Black studies grew up reconstructing the humanity of a historically oppressed, devalued, and exploited group. Knowledge production in Black studies offers distinct insights into the strength and resiliency of the human spirit and poses exemplary models for enlightened social change.

This book examines the foundational parameters and historical mission of the field of African-American Studies, which emerged from a broad-based Black intellectual tradition defined by the metaproblem of cultural hegemony. Semmes seeks to broaden our thinking about the scope and content of Black studies. The End of Black Studies identifies Afrocentric or Black-centered approaches to knowledge production that are distinctly different from, yet inclusive of, a historiographical emphasis on ancient Egypt, but alternative to the claim of a singular African worldview.

Comments

C. E. Semmes is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Africology and African American Studies.

Link to WorldCat Entry

The "Link to Full Text" button directs users to the book's WorldCat record, which provides publication information and options for locating a copy.

Full text is not available directly through DigitalCommons@EMU.

Recommended Citation

Semmes, C. E. (2017). The end of Black studies: Conceptual, theoretical, and empirical concerns. Routledge.