What is Afrocentrism?
Afrocentrism is a cultural and political movement whose mainly African American adherents regard themselves and all other Blacks as syncretic African peoples. It is a theory of agency—the idea that African people must be viewed and view themselves as agents rather than spectators to historical revolution and change. The movement maintains that people of African descent need to develop an appreciation of the achievements of traditional African civilizations and articulate their own history and their own system of values.
Afrocentrism argues that for centuries Africans and other nonwhites have been dominated, through slavery and colonization, by Europeans, and that European culture is at best irrelevant—and at worst diametrically opposed—to efforts by non-Europeans to achieve self-determination. Rather than merely reversing Eurocentrism, the movement seeks to establish a framework where African peoples are positioned at the center of their own narratives, cultures, and epistemologies.
Origins & Lineage
Afrocentrism has its origins in the work of African and African diaspora intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following social changes in the United States and Africa due both to the end of slavery and the decline of colonialism. Rooted in historical black nationalist movements such as Ethiopianism, Pan-Africanism, and Negritude, the movement found early expression in Marcus Garvey, a Pan-Africanist of Jamaican origin, venerated by most Afrocentrists as one of the early Afrocentrists to claim that ancient Egypt gave to the world civilisation.
Senegalese scholar Cheikh Anta Diop is considered the “grandfather” of this school of Afrocentrism, the intellectual forefather of Molefi Asante, Leonard Jeffries, and Martin Bernal. Diop’s “The African Origin of Civilization,” first published in French in 1955, argued that Africa was the cradle of humanity and civilisation.
The modern formalization of Afrocentrism as an academic discipline occurred in the 1980s. The Afrocentric movement originated in 1980 with the publication of Asante’s first book on the subject, “Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change.” The term Afrocentrism was coined by Molefi Asante in the 1980s and was popularized by such books as “Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization,” 2 vol. (1987–91), by Martin Bernal. Asante is the founder of the theory of Afrocentricity, The Cheikh Anta Diop Conference, and the think-tank, The Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies in Philadelphia.
How It’s Practiced
Afrocentrism manifests across multiple domains of practice. In education, Afrocentric education begins with a recognition of contextual specificity and is a site of struggle for racial educational justice. This includes curriculum reform emphasizing African achievements, particularly the centrality of ancient Egypt to world civilization, and teaching African and African American history from African perspectives.
In counseling and therapy, the application of Afrocentric principles emphasizes culturally relevant interventions, with therapeutic approaches often incorporating traditional healing practices, such as storytelling, communal ritual, drumming, and the consultation of elders. TAIBU, a nonprofit community health centre in Scarborough, Ontario, founded on the philosophy and practice of ubuntu and on the Nguzo Saba or “Seven Principles,” applies Afrocentrism to disrupt anti-Black racism in the health care system.
Culturally, Afrocentricity has spurred a renaissance in the arts, literature, and popular culture, with artists and writers utilizing Afrocentric aesthetics and themes to reclaim narrative control. Afrocentrism champions contemporary African American expressive culture including language, cuisine, music, dance, and clothing.
In research, utilizing an Afrocentric methodology equips the researcher with a detailed foundation for employing culturally correct methods, principles, and frameworks in analyzing Africana phenomena.
Afrocentrism Today
Contemporary Afrocentrism continues to evolve as both an academic framework and cultural practice. At Temple University, Asante created the first Ph.D. Program in African American Studies in 1988. The movement influences independent schools, community organizations, cultural festivals, and artistic expressions.
While academic Afrocentrism remains concentrated in Africology and African American Studies departments, the broader cultural dimensions permeate Black consciousness movements, natural hair movements, Pan-African gatherings, and educational initiatives emphasizing African history. Molefi Kete Asante delivered a lecture on Afrocentricity’s principles at SUNY Jefferson County Community College on August 5, 2024, emphasizing its role in reorienting African diaspora perspectives.
Seekers today encounter Afrocentrism through university courses in African American Studies, community-based Afrocentric schools, cultural centers, documentaries exploring African civilizations, books on African philosophy and history, and cultural festivals celebrating African heritage and diaspora connections.
Common Misconceptions
A common misconception is that Afrocentrists are anti-white; Afrocentrists maintain this is not true and instead say it is anti-oppression. Afrocentrism seeks to reclaim and highlight the positive contributions of African cultures and individuals, rather than engaging in divisive rhetoric.
Afrocentrism is not a monolith. Critics have raised substantive concerns about historical claims, particularly regarding ancient Egypt. Major critics of Afrocentrism include Mary Lefkowitz, who dismisses it as pseudohistory, reactive, and obstinately therapeutic. Scholars have challenged the various assertions of Afrocentrists on the cultural and biological characteristics of Ancient Egyptian civilization and its people.
A general critique of Afrocentrism is that it is premised on three fallacies: unanimanism (belief that Africa was culturally homogenous), diffusionism (the belief that human phenomena have one common origin), and primordialism (that present customs and identities are derived from an ancient past in unbroken continuity).
Afrocentrism should not be confused with comprehensive African history scholarship, which uses diverse methodologies and does not necessarily center ancient Egypt or assume cultural unity across the continent. The movement represents one approach among many to understanding African and African diaspora experiences.
How to Begin
For those interested in exploring Afrocentrism, begin with Molefi Kete Asante’s foundational text “Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change” (1980) or his later work “The Afrocentric Idea” (1987). Cheikh Anta Diop’s “The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality” offers historical grounding. Martin Bernal’s “Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization” provides a controversial but influential perspective on classical history.
Seek out university courses in Africology or African American Studies departments, which often integrate Afrocentric perspectives. Cultural centers in cities with significant African American populations frequently offer lectures, workshops, and community discussions. The Journal of Black Studies, founded by Asante, publishes scholarly work in this tradition.
Engage critically with both Afrocentric scholarship and its critiques to develop a nuanced understanding of its contributions and limitations within the broader landscape of African diaspora studies.