People
Molefi Kete Asante and African American Studies
A short, sourced note on scholar Molefi Kete Asante, who created the first Ph.D. program in African American Studies at Temple University in 1988.
In short
Molefi Kete Asante is a professor in the Department of Africology and African American Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia. Born in Valdosta, Georgia, he created the first Ph.D. program in African American Studies in the United States at Temple in 1988, is known as the founder of the theory of Afrocentricity, and was the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies. Temple reports that he has published more than 100 books.
- Position
- Professor, Africology and African American Studies, Temple University
- Born
- Valdosta, Georgia
- 1988
- Created the first U.S. Ph.D. program in African American Studies
- Journal
- Founding editor, Journal of Black Studies
- Books
- More than 100, per Temple University
What is his academic work?
Asante is one of the founders of African American Studies as a doctoral field. Temple University's directory credits him with creating the first Ph.D. program in African American Studies, at Temple, in 1988, and describes him as the founder of Afrocentricity, a theory that places African people and their history at the center of analysis. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies. His books include The History of Africa, The African American People: A Global History and the memoir As I Run Toward Africa.
Why is he on this site?
This address was used by an earlier site on this domain, and we kept it so links still work. The growth of African American Studies programs since the late 1960s is one reason Fannie Lou Hamer's life is now taught in universities. Our links page lists the archives scholars use. As a living person, he is described here only through his public work.
Questions readers ask
Is he connected to this site?
No. This address was used by an earlier, unrelated site on this domain. We describe his public academic work from published sources only.
Sources
- Molefi Kete Asante (faculty directory)Temple University
We checked every date and name on this page against the sources above. If you find an error, write to contact@fannielouhamer.info.
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