Africentrism and Curriculum: Concepts, Issues, and Prospects
1992; Howard University; Volume: 61; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2295250
ISSN2167-6437
Autores Tópico(s)Diverse Education Studies and Reforms
ResumoEarly in the movie Young Frankenstein (1974), Dr. Frankenstein (played by Gene Wilder) is greeted by the Igor caricature (played by Marty Feldman) who helps Wilder with his baggage as he arrives at the family castle. When Wilder inquires about the obvious hump on Feldman's back, Feldman responds with the question, What hump? Igor's hump, and his own ignorance of it, might stand as an allegory for the extant racial problems in this country: a disfigurement to the body, character, and ethos of American society that remains unacknowledged in any real sense. However, the infusion of African and African American content into the American public school curriculum, and the multicultural education project in general, can be seen as reconstructive surgery on this hump that causes our society to stoop so far beneath its professed ideals. The discussions about both Africentric1 and multicultural education have begun to take on the character of fantasy and denial to the extent that the conditions for their genesis are being ignored. Beginning with a discussion of background issues and definitions of relevant terminology, the present article examines some of the discussion of curriculum issues surrounding these innovative approaches. It also suggests some concepts that may help to frame the discussion of such issues and justify revising traditional curriculum assumptions and structures. Further, it presents a rationale for the infusion of African and African American content into the curriculum of America's schools.
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