African Culture

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Africans, in particular, have been isolated from the global intellectual and scholarly community and therefore are believed not to have a culture of value to the world. The author points out one viewpoint that white domination and prejudice have effectively blocked African writers and poets from expressing their rebuttals to the Western scholarship, which holds a negative opinion of African affairs. The paper states that the problem of representing Africa in literature and history relates to the field of anthropology, where the concept of the "colonial behavior pattern", held by many anthropologists, has not been helpful in telling the real story of Africa. The paper includes many embedded quotations.

From the Paper:

"For example, English historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, in a BBC radio lecture, made the claim that Africa had no history and that there was "nothing to be found in Africa" other than "...unrewarding gyrations of barbarous tribes in picturesque but irrelevant corners of the globe." This racist diatribe was replied to by Kenvan Ali Mazrui, according to Schipper's article, because "there had been enough history of barbarians and savages" and it was time for a new take on African history."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fourny, Jean-Francois, & Ha, Marie-Paule. "Introduction: The history of an idea." Research inAfrican Literatures 28.4 (1997): 1-8.
• Frazier, Herb. "Basket making is historical link: Craft provide link between cultures." NABJ Journal 13.5 (1995): 4-7.
• Gikandi, Simon. "Chinua Achebe and the Invention of African Culture." Research in African Literatures 32.3 (2001): 3-10.
• Kitson, Thomas J. "Tempering Race and Nation: Recent Debates in Diaspora Identity." Research In African Literatures 30.2 (1999): 88-95.
• Schipper, Mineke. "Knowledge is like an ocean: insiders, outsiders, and the academy." Research In African Literatures 28.4 (1997): 121-142.

More papers on African Culture:

• Article Review # 125648 : "African Culture and Business Markets"
• Analytical Essay # 132303 : "African Culture and African Americans"
• Essay # 32242 : "The Impact of Colonization on African Culture"
• Essay # 33791 : "Impact Of Myths On African Culture And Society"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: