Africana Books

This is a good "reference" for someone who is seeking some surface knowledge about African Americans and their histroy, but I was hoping for a little bit more "meat". It is a well written text, but it is like a dictionary with very little specific insight into the subjects mentioned in the text. It gives the reader more of an overview of topics. Additionally, some very importanat people in African American history are not included in the text. If you are looking for something that is comprehensive, this is NOT the book to get. It is possible that the entire Africana would be more appropriate for my needs.

Scholars Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., paid homage to the great W.E.B. Du Bois' dream to produce an encyclopedia cataloguing the achievements and history of the African Diaspora with the publication in 1999 of the massive 2,095-page AFRICANA: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Appiah and Gates duly acknowledge Du Bois' many contributions to history, literature, and the struggle for human rights around the world with: their dedication of the book to him, a regular encyclopedia entry on his achievements, and an "interpretation" by Cornel West of his historical significance.

While AFRICANA is exactly what the title implies, it is also quite a bit more. The book itself represents a major achievement of publishing technology. What Du Bois was not able to accomplish by sheer brain power and intellectual camaraderie, Appiah and Gates achieved through developments in modern communication technology, the computer, and a global team of dedicated intellectuals. The scope of AFRICANA encompasses literature, religion, music, dance, sociology, politics, and, above all, history. In reading the book for pleasure or referencing it for specific topics, one realizes just how much of the African-American and African experience has shaped and defined the greater modern human experience.

Aberjhani
Author of THE WISDOM OF W.E.B. DU BOIS
And ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Thank you for your promptness. The recipient truly loved the gift. Thank you once again. Bernadette

As the author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities, I was disappointed to not see any reference to the nine African American Fraternities and Sororities, particularly since W.E.B. DuBois was a member. It seemed like a strange omission for such a comprehensive book.


--
Lawrence C. Ross, Jr.
The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities (author)
The Ways of Black Folks: A Year in the Life of a People (author)
Sometimes Rhythm, Sometimes Blues (contributor)
Friends With Benefits (author: September 2005)

As a university professor in African American Studies, I looked forward to the first edition and bought it. But I was disappointed by the woefully lacking index which is also the case with the 2nd edition.

The five-volume 2nd edition is much easier to handle in terms of weight for each volume than the VERY heavy one volume 1st edition. However, one must wonder how Harvard professors (the editors) could allow a lack of a comprehensive index the second time around.

I bought the 1st edition, but I recommend not buying the 2nd edition. If a future edition has a comprehensive index, I will buy and would urge you to buy, as there is a wealth of information.

As for this (2nd) edition, save your money. Use the volumes at your school/university or community library for good general background information on the African and African American Experience.

MY PRODUCT WAS WONDEFUL AND IN WONDERFUL NEW CRISP CONDITION THANKS AMAZON... AND ALSO FOR HAVING MY PRODUCT GET TO MEIN A PROMPT TIME FRAME...

In the west, where the knowledge of the sacred techonology of the mother is almost non-existant, this book is a blessing. Gives a great introductory understanding of the dynamic force/being/ability/power that is Ájé.

Cornel West & Philosophy: The Quest for Social Justice is easily the best book on Cornel West that I have read. The author, Clarence Johnson, takes his readers through West's thought on a really broad variety of matters and shows how they can best be seen as united (of at least all branches from the same tree). Johnson begins by explaining that West is best thought of as a prophetic pragmatist. This allows Johnson to see apparently quite diverse aspects of West's thought (including such things as West's critique of the silent acquiescence of black in Clarence Thomas's nomination to the Supreme Court, West's apparently shifting positions during the time he was leaving Harvard, Wes's views on the black/Jewish conflicts, West's blending of theological and humanistic values, and West's peculiar form of Marxism) as all part of a coherent philosophy. Nowhere in the literature on West-and certainly not in West's writings themselves-is there nearly such a good statement of West's views or one that organizes them into such a readily comprehensible structure. So, for someone who is looking for a good clear understanding of what really drives West's sometimes apparently unconnected views on so many matters, this volume cannot be beaten. And because it is so well-written and clearly organized, everyone-including those with no training in philosophy or political theory-will have no difficulty in getting a firm grip on West's take on our current political situation and his views about where we should go from here. Furthermore, because it sheds new light on so many areas of West's thinking, even those who are well steeped in West's thought will learn a lot from this volume.
But Johnson is no mere expositor of West's thought. He also is a critic and a very good one. For what Johnson does is first try to find the best defense he can of West on any given position and then attack that position. There are, so far as I can see, no cheap shots in Johnson's critique of West. Rather, what the reader finds is a fair-minded discussion of some very serious flaws in West's position. I found it very helpful to have someone take on some of West's positions in a way that shows both their weaknesses and how one might go about correcting them to build a better, more sustainable, philosophically well-grounded position on America's most pressing problems. I hope Johnson will write more on these matters. We need to hear more from him about how America should address and redress its racist past, cleanse itself of its current racism, and go on to build a society where each is treated with dignity and where governments at all levels show everyone equal concern and respect and take measures to ensure that all have access to adequate basic goods so that each person has a decent chance to lead the sort of life that she judges is both rewarding and fulfilling.
One final observation. The book contains an absolutely excellent short summary of how deeply embedded racism is in the thought of some of the western establishment's most cherished thinkers, such as Locke, Hume, and Kant. Johnson shows how deeply racist such thinkers (particularly Kant) were while still allowing that some of their best ideas are of use to those who seek to uproot racism. Even if one had no interest in West or his ideas, the book would be worth reading for this penetrating analysis of how deeply racism affects the thought of thinkers who have done so much to shape the post-Enlightenment world. (I only wish Johnson had discussed Adam Smith's views here as well.)
So, I give this book my highest recommendation. It is the best available introduction to West's thought, teaches us all something about the strengths and weaknesses of West's ideas, and is just a joy to read. (Scholars of West will be glad to know that everything is properly cited, there is an fine bibliography, and a first rate index. Everyone will be amazed that Johnson packed so much material into a scant 182 pages of clearly written insightful text.) I eagerly await West's response to Johnson's fine volume.

Henry Mitchell, Jeremiah Wright, Otis Moss III, Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, Valerie Bridgeman Davis, Marilyn Thornton, Safiyan Fosua, and Linda Hollies are some of the contributors to this incredibly rich collection of essays that focus on worship within African-American and Caribbean churches. The essays span practices of worship, including, for example, the reading of scripture and the interpretation of it among the Bassa Christians in Liberia. The essay by Otis Moss III concerns new styles of worship, moving from traditional understandings of worship to a new dynamic for worship in the 21st century.

This collection is appropriate for pastors and scholars, for those within African-American churches and for those who live outside it. Were more people to read works such as this one, the recent controversy concerning the preaching of Pastor Jeremiah Wright might be understood in a far different light than the coverage within the popular news outlets.

I look forward to more of the thinking of the contributors and to other books in this series of resources.