Book Description

African-American Studies is a unique field of scholarly inquiry and critical interpretation whose intellectual foundation and development have significantly influenced other disciplines in the academy. The African-American Studies Reader is the largest and most comprehensive anthology yet undertaken in the field. A variety of perspectives are used to present the development of the discipline of African-American Studies. This volume's sixty-one articles are organized into eight sections: (I) The Discipline: Definition and Perspectives; (II) African-American Women's Studies; (III) Historical Perspectives; (IV) Philosophical Perspectives; (V) Theoretical Foundation; (VI) Political Perspectives; (VII) Critical Issues and Perspectives; and (VIII) Curriculum Development and Program Models. This comprehensive anthology includes key selections from many scholars who have made substantial contributions to the development of the discipline. They argue many different perspectives and topics relevant to the study of African American Studies as an intellectual, social, and political focus in/of higher education; they provide discussions of the intellectual and academic roots of the field; they describe the conditions that made its emergence possible; they present its theoretical, research, ideological, and philosophical paradigms; and they examine the past, present and future challenges of African-American Studies. The African-American Studies Reader is an invaluable complement to basic books in the discipline and can be used as an introductory text for graduate and undergraduate courses in the field. It provides an essential guide to enable students to understand how the field evolved, therange of perspectives it encompasses, and the challenge and future directions of African-American Studies. This outstanding collection of various perspectives in African-American Studies will be of interest to individuals new to the field as well as those already involved in research, teaching, and other aspects of African-American Studies.