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Indexicality: An Africological Method of Inquiry
Description
Indexicality: An Africological Method of Inquiry by Dr. Molefi Kete Asante is both a groundbreaking theoretical text and a practical guide for conducting research rooted in the Afrocentric worldview. It offers scholars a definitive methodological framework for Africology, designed to analyze African phenomena through the lens of African agency, cultural systems, and historical continuity.
Building upon the intellectual foundations laid in Kemet, Afrocentricity, and Knowledge and enriched by decades of Africological scholarship, Asante addresses a pressing need for research methods aligned with the epistemological and ontological commitments of Africology.
Indexicality provides a structured process for inquiry that is culturally grounded, philosophically coherent, and methodologically precise. Asante unpacks how this approach can be used to:
- Examine historical texts and cultural narratives with methods that honor African-centered interpretations.
- Conduct linguistic and semiotic analyses that preserve the integrity of African worldviews.
- Reframe classificatory systems to reflect African values and lived realities rather than imposed colonial categories.
- Guide policy analysis, curriculum development, and applied social research that directly benefit African-descended communities.
Indexicality offers concrete tools that scholars can apply across disciplines from Africana Studies and political science to communication, linguistics, and education. Its practical applicability extends to archival research, oral history projects, cultural criticism, and the creation of knowledge systems that serve African people globally.
Drawing on the intellectual legacies of Yosef ben-Jochannon, Cheikh Anta Diop, and Jacob Carruthers, and building on the methodological innovations showcased in The Little Black Book Series: Research Methods for the African Diaspora, Asante positions Indexicality as a methodological cornerstone. With its combination of philosophical depth and actionable guidance, Indexicality is indispensable for researchers committed to the rigorous and emancipatory project of Africology.
