Table of Content

International Journal of Africana Studies

Volume 14 • Number 1 • Spring/Summer 2008

Terry Kershaw, Editor

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Table of Contents

Special Issue

Sustaining Black Studies in the 21st Century

marilyn m. thomas-houston, Special Issue Editor

Journal Editor’s Comments………………………………………………………… i

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………… ii

Sustaining Black Studies in the 21st Century:
Perspectives from a Convening………………………………………………….. vi

Raising an Academic Step-Child: Black Studies for the
21st Century…………………………………………………………………………. 1

marilyn m. thomas-houston, University of Florida

Question One: How far have we come in institutionalizing
Black Studies, and how far do we have to go? What efforts
must be made to move the field from the periphery of
academia to the core?…………………………………………………………….. 7

Position Papers

Reflections on the Position and Positioning of African
American Studies………………………………………………………………. 8

James Turner, Cornell University

Conversations for Sustaining Black Studies in the 21st
Century: Retaining Relevance……………………………………………… 10

Esther M.A. Terry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The Pursuit of Africology: On the Creation and Sustaining of Black Studies             14

Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………. 21

Question Two: What is/should be the relationship between
Black Studies and Critical Race Studies, Diaspora Studies,
African Studies, Afro-Latino(a) Studies, and Africana
Women’s Studies?……………………………………………………………….. 28

Position Papers

“Moving on Up” in the Ivory Tower……………………………………… 29

Dorothy Randall Tsuruta, San Francisco State University

Sub-Disciplinary Specializations and Disciplinary Maturation: Relationships Among Afro-American Studies, Critical Race
Studies, Diaspora Studies, African Studies, Afro-Latino/a
Studies, and Africana Women’s Studies………………………………… 33

James B. Stewart, Penn State University

Discussion.………………………………………………………………………… 37

Question Three: What direction should new scholarship in
the field take? For example: intersectionality, sexuality, class, internationalism, and environmental justice.        55

Position Papers

Risk Avoidance and Transfer: Thoughts on New Directions
for Africana Studies………………………………………………………….. 55

Lee Baker, Duke University

Directions for New Scholarship in Black Studies……………………… 59

Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, University of California,
Los Angeles

Embracing the Notion of Intersectionality…………………………….. 63

Josephine B. Bradley, Clark Atlanta University

Africana Studies at the “Gateway”……………………………………….. 67

Carole Boyce Davies, Florida International University

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………. 77

Question Four: What funding alternatives are needed to
assist in sustaining Black Studies?…………………………………………… 100

Position Papers

Challenges for Obtaining Philanthropic Resources………………… 100

Kevin Gaines, University of Michigan

Sustaining Black Studies: Funding Challenges……………………….. 104

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Spelman College

Discussion……………………………………………………………………….. 106

Question Five: Do national Black Studies organizations have
a role to play in the institutionalization of the field?…………………. 117

Internal Building Blocks: Key Elements Used by the
National Council for Black Studies That Institutionalize
the Field of Africana Studies……………………………………………… 117

Summer L. Henry, National Council for Black Studies

Financial Viability of Professional Organizations…………………… 119

Sylvia Cyrus Albritton, Association for the Study of African
American Life and History

Brick by Brick: The Critical Role of Professional Organizations
in the Institutionalization of Africana Studies………………………. 123

Charles E. Jones, Georgia State University

Technology and Africana Studies: A Discussion of
Organizational Issues………………………………………………………. 128

Abdul Alkalimat, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Discussion……………………………………………………………………….. 134

Question Six: How connected is Black Studies to communities? How central is Participatory Action Research, community involvement, and social activism to the field?………………………………………………………………………. 147

Position Papers

Bringing the Community Back In Black Studies……………………… 148

Charles P. Henry, University of California, Berkeley

Making Good on the Intellectual and Moral Commitment………. 151

Warren C. Whatley, University of Michigan

Discussion ………………………………………………………………………. 156

Question Seven: What represents “best practices” in the
field in terms of both program administration and pedagogy,
and what is the best way to disseminate them? Include the role
of technology in your response……………………………………………… 176

Position Papers

Best Practices: “Building Bridges”……………………………………… 177

Stanlie James, University of Wisconsin

Contextualizing the Role of African American Studies Administration     207

Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, University of California, Los Angeles

Discussion……………………………………………………………………….. 184

Question Eight: What role can chief administrators play in sustaining Black Studies?           195

Position Papers

Black Studies in the 21st Century: “What Role Can Chief Administrators Play In Developing and Sustaining Black
Studies?”……………………………………………………………………… 196

Ronald W. Bailey, Northeastern University

Africana Studies and the Project of Serudj: Reaffirmation
and Renewal of the Discipline…………………………………………… 200

Maulana Karenga, California State University, Long Beach

Contextualizing the Role of African American Studies Administration     205

Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, University of California, Los Angeles

Discussion……………………………………………………………………….. 211

Question Nine: What will it take to establish intergenerational leadership succession in the field of Black Studies?              222

Position Papers

A Greater Focus On Methodology In Black Studies………………… 224

Rhett Jones, Brown University 

Measures For Sustaining Intergenerational Leadership…………… 228

Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University

Restructuring Black Studies for Intergenerational
Leadership……………………………………………………………………. 231

Austin Jackson, Michigan State University

Discussion……………………………………………………………………….. 235

Concluding Perspectives: Afro-Peruvian Reflections…………………. 248

Academic Studies on People of African Descent in the
Americas: Debate between the Americas…………………………….. 248

Mónica Carillo, Center for Afro-Péruvian Studies on the African Diaspora and Afro-Americans [sic, original ms]

Translated by Ejima Baker

Estudios de Diaspora Africana, Afroamericanos……………………. 255

Mónica Carillo, Center for Afro-Péruvian Studies; Studies on the African Diaspora and Afro-Americans

Visiting Scholar’s Reflections: Scholarship and the Emerging Scholar-Activist Paradigm in Black Studies  261

Terry Kershaw, Virginia Tech

Appendix: Titles of Dissertations In Black Studies at the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst ……………………………………..  311   Contributors………………………………………………………………………. 313