Djaer, Deep Thinking in Africana Studies: Cultivating Critical, Creative and Ethical Reflection
Description
Djaer, Deep Thinking in Africana Studies: Cultivating Critical, Creative, and Ethical Reflection by Dr. Maulana Karenga explains critical thinking through the lens of Africana Studies, rooted in the ancient Egyptian concept of djaer—a practice of deep thinking that is simultaneously critical, creative, and ethical.
A core contribution to The Little Black Book Series for Research Methods for the African Diaspora, Dr. Karenga advances the intellectual and ethical mission of Black/African studies by proposing a culturally grounded framework for analyzing, evaluating, and solving problems while centering African-centered values and perspectives, showing how to engage deeply with the philosophical and ethical dimensions of Africana-centered inquiry, informed by the principle of Ma’at, which encompasses justice, truth, propriety, and the good. Through this lens, djaer engages cognitive and affective abilities to achieve moral and creative insights that serve the African and broader human good.
Grounding its methodology in the Afrocentric tradition, the book demonstrates how African studies critique Eurocentric assumptions and develop alternative epistemologies that promote justice and multicultural cooperation and equips students and scholars to critique prevailing narratives, analyze the interplay of race, class, and gender, and explore the ethical dimensions of intellectual and social issues.
