Key Concepts In The Discipline Of Africology

Description

Key Concepts in the Discipline of Africology is conceived as a definitive reference work designed to codify, refine, and expand the terminology, theoretical frameworks, and methodological language of the discipline of Africology. Rooted in the Afrocentric paradigm, this work situates linguistic precision and conceptual clarity as essential to the intellectual sovereignty and disciplinary advancement of Africana thought.

This lexicon will serve as both a pedagogical and theoretical tool, bridging the gap between practice and philosophy by providing scholars with a shared vocabulary grounded in African-centered epistemologies. As Africology continues to evolve through emerging theories, concepts, and redefinitions of knowledge itself, the Black Lexicon will be a living document to reflect the ongoing growth and dynamism of the field.

Much like The Philosophy Major’s Introduction to Concepts, Dictionary of Political Science, or Core Concepts in Biological Anthropology, this volume responds to a critical need within Africology: the standardization of key terms and methodologies that reflect the discipline’s ontological and epistemological foundations.

In doing so, it affirms that language is a methodological instrument of liberation. By establishing a common lexicon, Africologists and scholars across the humanities and social sciences who seek to write Afrocentrically can more effectively engage in research design, theoretical construction, and intellectual discourse that advance both the discipline and the broader human project.
Key Concepts in the Discipline of Africology emphasizes the importance of shared terminology as the foundation for a shared understanding. In articulating the language of Africology, this work reclaims linguistic space for global diaspora and Black research agency in scholarship and fosters methodological coherence. It contributes to the enduring project of restoring Africa’s centrality to global knowledge production. Vol. 1 in THE BLACK LEXICON series.

See Reviews

“The Black Lexicon: Key Concepts in the Discipline of Africology is a must-have book for those interested in the building blocks of Africana Studies. The glossary of terms, lexicon, and Annotated Bibliography make it a unique resource for scholars and students in this specialized discipline.” — M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., Ph.D.

“Key Concepts in the Discipline of Africology, then, reveals and highlights over fifty years of scholarly development in Africana Studies and the language that frames and grounds the discipline.” — M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., Ph.D.

Authors and Contributors

Nah Dove, Ph.D.

Dr. Nah Dove is a scholar of Africology whose work centers African-centered knowledge systems, education, and cultural analysis within the Black intellectual tradition. Her scholarship advances African epistemology, Africana womanist thought, and community-grounded pedagogy, with particular attention to the cultural foundations of schooling and intellectual formation. Dr. Dove’s research interrogates the relationships among culture, power, and knowledge production, emphasizing the role of education as a site of cultural continuity and institutional development across the African diaspora.

As a professor of Africology and African American Studies, Dr. Dove has contributed significantly to curriculum theory, teacher education, and African-centered institutional practice. Her publications and lectures engage scholars, educators, and practitioners committed to culturally grounded approaches to learning and leadership. Widely recognized for her commitment to African-centered scholarship and community accountability, Dr. Dove’s work bridges theory and practice, offering frameworks that support academic rigor, cultural coherence, and intellectual sovereignty. Her contributions are frequently cited in studies of Afrocentric education, Africana pedagogy, and Black studies methodology.

Author profile

Molefi Kete Asante Ph.D.

Dr. Molefi Kete, scholar of African American Studies and Africology, is the founding architect of Afrocentricity. He served as Professor at Temple University, where he founded the first doctoral program in African American Studies in the United States. A prolific author of more than 100 books, Asante’s work addresses African-centered theory, culture, communication, philosophy, and history. Asante’s scholarship emphasizes African agency, worldview, and cultural orientation as essential analytical foundations. His contributions have influenced studies in history, communication, philosophy, education, and cultural theory, and his writings are widely cited in academic literature. Through both institutional leadership and scholarly production, Dr. Asante has played a central role in advancing African-centered intellectual traditions globally. Dr. Molefi Kete Asante has become the seminal theoretician of Afrocentric infusion into the curriculum, examining and advancing an agency-centered ideological position in education, culture, and science. Widely read and consulted, Dr. Asante and his books have inspired educators in the United States, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, and Brazil.

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