Question 2

All of these authors discuss the importance of black culture. Asante describes the importance of Afrocentricity vs. Eurocentricity. Asante believes that we should analyze the culture of blacks from Africa; we should look at all of the experiences that Africans had/made not just the Eurocentrist approach. So, basically we should incorporate Afrocentricity with Eurocentricity to fully understand the history and culture of African Americans. The other authors, Hooks, West, and Hall all discuss ways in which we should examine black culture. Hooks states the importance of all black people (rich, middle-class, poor, women, men, etc.) in the studies of black culture. Hooks also says, "theoretical and critical thinking need not be transmitted solely in the academy." He thinks that we should talk about black culture openly to inform people about the importance of black culture. West has a similar approach. West points out that we should look at black culture and society together. We should think about all of the effects that blacks have had on society and vice-verse. This includes the overall "representational practices in terms of history, culture, and society" (West, p. 94). Hall talks about how culture is not a thing of the past. Culture is still present today; it is changing and evolving everyday. Hall talks about ethnicity in a political, historical, and cultural way. On page 443, he states, "it is the effect of a theoretical encounter between black cultural politics and the discourses of a Eurocentric, largely white, critical cultural theory which in recent years, has focused so much analysis of the politics of representation." He states that there are good and bad in every race, and that not all blacks are "innocent." Overall, all of these readings discuss black culture, but Asante's work focuses on Afrocentricity. Asante, in my opinion, talks a lot more about racism and the Eurocentric views on black culture than the other articles.