Indexicality: An Africological Method of Inquiry

Indexicality: An Africological Method of Inquiry by Molefi Kete Asante presents a definitive methodological framework for Africology, advancing the discipline’s ability to analyze African phenomena from a distinctly Afrocentric perspective. Building on the foundational work of Kemet, Afrocentricity, and Knowledge and the subsequent contributions of Africology scholars, this book addresses the critical need for methodologies that align with the epistemological and ontological orientations of the discipline.

Africology has long contended with the limitations imposed by Eurocentric paradigms and methods inherited from established disciplines such as communication, political science, psychology, and history. This text situates Indexicality as a methodological cornerstone, offering a structured approach to engage African agency, cultural systems, and historical contexts. Asante examines the challenges of methodological purity while advocating for approaches that prioritize the integrity of Afrocentric theoretical constructs. The book deconstructs prevailing notions of objectivity, prediction, and classificatory systems through its chapters to foreground inquiry methods rooted in critical reflection and the Afrocentric ethos.

With a focus on historical texts, language, and the classification of knowledge systems, Indexicality bridges the theoretical and practical needs of Africology researchers. It builds on the historiographical contributions of scholars like Yosef ben-Jochannon, C. Anta Diop, and Jacob Carruthers while responding to the methodological advancements initiated by The Little Black Book Series: Research Methods for the African Diaspora. Asante’s rigorous analysis provides not only new paths in methodological thought but also consolidates Africanology’s status as an autonomous discipline, solidifying its conceptual, theoretical, and practical underpinnings.