The converse of that is that "blackness" is also a cultural construct. The Ghanian philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah has written extensively about how the idea of "Africa" and "Africans" and "black solidarity" is essentially an invention of the west and the New World. He teaches at Princeton and does alot of work on race, culture, and identity with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
When Nelson Mandela's daughter came in the early 90s as a guest lecturer at the university I attend, my African history professor ended up sitting next to her. During the banquet, she leaned over him and asked "What is this "Afrocentrism" I keep hearing about?"
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Thu, Jun. 1st, 2006 07:34 pm (UTC)When Nelson Mandela's daughter came in the early 90s as a guest lecturer at the university I attend, my African history professor ended up sitting next to her. During the banquet, she leaned over him and asked "What is this "Afrocentrism" I keep hearing about?"