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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 May 2019
At the risk of being called unscholarly, or unnecessarily pedantic, I would like to revive an old issue: the role of Africanists vis-à-vis Africa. In most intellectual circles, this issue is shunned. Generally, criticism of Africanists has been presented in terms of the relevance and/or nature of African/ non-African, Black/White involvement in Africa. The defense of the Africanist community, however, has been based on the impartiality of scientific investigation and the cumulative nature of all knowledge– without regard to cultural bias. My purpose here is to take a slightly different route and to interweave the two views in an effort to restate the case against Africanists.
1 An African student friend suggested to me that since African studies as a discipline was on tire decline, hammering on the issue against Africanists was pointless as well as redundant. Also, a prominent Africanist at Syracuse University was overjoyed that, contrary to some predictions, more Africans attended the 1 971 ASA Annual Meeting in Denver than in previous years This was meant to imply, of course, that the issue against Africanists was a manufactured one and could now be safely ignored.
2 This is the stand taken by the Black Caucus and the African Heritage Studies Association when they call for a Pan-Africanist perspective.
3 Commenting on the confrontation at the ASA meeting in Montreal (1969), Wallerstem observed that “many react to this demand for relevance as they react to all demands for relevance, by arguing one variety or another of the belief in value-free science” Africa Today, vol. 16, nos 5 6, December 1969, p 12.
4 Kaplan, Abraham, The Conduct of Inquiry (Chandler Publishing Company, Scranton, Pa., 1964), p. 373.Google Scholar
5 Carter, Gwendolen M., ed. African One Party Stales (Ithaca, NY. Cornell University Press, 1962), p. 9.Google Scholar
6 Burke, Fred G., “The Meaning of Montreal,” Africa Today, vol 16, nos. 5-6, 1969, p. 8.Google Scholar
7 Wallerstein, Immanuel, “Africa, America and Africanists,” Africa Today, vol 16, nos 5-6, 1969, p 12.Google Scholar
8 African Studies Newsletter. 1969, nos. 6-7, p 22.
9 See Wallerstein, Africa Today, vol. 16, nos. 5-6, and Clarke, J. H., “An Afro-American view,” Africa Today, vol. 16, no. 2, 1969.Google Scholar
10 African Studies Newsletter. 1969, nos. 6-7, p. 22.
11 Ibid.,p.20.
12 Ibid.,p.20.
13 Kaplan, TheConduct of Inquiry, p. 375.
14 Myrdal, Gunnar, Economic Theory and Underdeveloped Regions (Metheun, London, University Paperbacks, 1957), p. 163.Google Scholar
15 For a fuller discussion of the influence of evolutionary theory in Western thought, see Frederick J Teggart, Theory and Processes of History Berkeley, University of California Press, 1962), Part II.
16 Kaplan, Conduct of Inquiry, p 385.
17 Teggart, Theory and Processes of History, p 70.
18 Armah, Kwesi, Africa's Golden Road (London, Heineman, 1965), p. 63.Google Scholar (This book has a foreword by Jomo Kenyatta!)
