Overview

In this ground-breaking book, Stephen C. Ferguson addresses a seminal question that is too-often ignored: What should be the philosophical basis for African American studies? The volume explores philosophical issues and problems in their relationship to Black studies. Ferguson shows that philosophy is not a sterile intellectual pursuit, but a critical tool to gathering knowledge about the Black experience.   Cultural idealism in various forms has become enormously influential as a framework for Black studies. Ferguson takes on the task of demonstrating how a Marxist philosophical perspective offers a productive and fruitful way of overcoming the limitations of idealism. Focusing on the hugely popular Afrocentric school of thought, this book’s engaging discussion shows that the foundational arguments of cultural idealism are based on a series of analytical and historical misapprehensions. In turn, Ferguson argues for the centrality of the Black working class—both men and women—to Black Studies.

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9781349568734

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Reviews

'At a time when consensus often substitutes for critical discourse in scholarly communities, this book raises the stakes in current conversations about the past, present, and possible future trajectories of Black Studies.' - Clarence Lang, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies, The University of Kansas, USA, and author of Black America in the Shadow of the Sixties: Notes on the Civil Rights Movement, Neoliberalism, and Politics 'This book is the most significant philosophical examination of black studies to emerge in the past forty years. Ferguson provides both critical materialist insights and creative dialectical approaches to this important field of study. Philosophy of African American Studies is a must-read for those who seek to employ AAS as a weapon of liberation.' - John H. McClendon III, Professor of Philosophy, Michigan State University, USA, and author of C. L. R. James's Notes on Dialectics: Left Hegelianism or Marxism-Leninism 'Ferguson's erudite work is the definitive clarification of the dialogic, 'The Challenge of Blackness.' Ferguson's epistemological tour de force critique of Afrocentrism will challenge its proponents to deeply rethink a flawed, ahistorical paradigm. Brilliantly written, this book takes a keen look at how a pop culture idea is driven by the collective sensibilities of 'false blackness' among African Americans.' - Malik Simba, Emeritus Professor of Africana Studies and History, California State University-Fresno, USA

'At a time when consensus often substitutes for critical discourse in scholarly communities, this book raises the stakes in current conversations about the past, present, and possible future trajectories of Black Studies.' - Clarence Lang, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies, The University of Kansas, USA, and author of Black America in the Shadow of the Sixties: Notes on the Civil Rights Movement, Neoliberalism, and Politics 'This book is the most significant philosophical examination of black studies to emerge in the past forty years. Ferguson provides both critical materialist insights and creative dialectical approaches to this important field of study. Philosophy of African American Studies is a must-read for those who seek to employ AAS as a weapon of liberation.' - John H. McClendon III, Professor of Philosophy, Michigan State University, USA, and author of C. L. R. James's Notes on Dialectics: Left Hegelianism or Marxism-Leninism 'Ferguson's erudite work is the definitive clarification of the dialogic, 'The Challenge of Blackness.' Ferguson's epistemological tour de force critique of Afrocentrism will challenge its proponents to deeply rethink a flawed, ahistorical paradigm. Brilliantly written, this book takes a keen look at how a pop culture idea is driven by the collective sensibilities of 'false blackness' among African Americans.' - Malik Simba, Emeritus Professor of Africana Studies and History, California State University-Fresno, USA

uson's erudite work is the definitive clarification of the dialogic, 'The Challenge of Blackness.' Ferguson's epistemological tour de force critique of Afrocentrism will challenge its proponents to deeply rethink a flawed, ahistorical paradigm. Brilliantly written, this book takes a keen look at how a pop culture idea is driven by the collective sensibilities of 'false blackness' among African Americans.' - Malik Simba, Emeritus Professor of Africana Studies and History, California State Uni versity-Fresno, USA

uson's erudite work is the definitive clarification of the dialogic, 'The Challenge of Blackness.' Ferguson's epistemological tour de force critique of Afrocentrism will challenge its proponents to deeply rethink a flawed, ahistorical paradigm. Brilliantly written, this book takes a keen look at how a pop culture idea is driven by the collective sensibilities of 'false blackness' among African Americans.' - Malik Simba, Emeritus Professor of Africana Studies and History, California State University-Fresno, USA

“Stephen C. Ferguson II convincingly presents a fivefold argument, focusing his critique on Afrocentricity as articulated by Dr. Molefi Kete Asante … . Philosophy of African American Studies is essential and significant reading for persons deeply committed to overcoming the bourgeois specifications and ideological weaknesses Ferguson analyzes, and to moving the field forward.” (Charisse Burden-Stelly, Science & Society, Vol. 83 (1), 2019)​

Author Information

Stephen C. Ferguson II is Associate Professor in Liberal Studies at North Carolina A & T State University, USA. He is the co-author of Beyond The White Shadow: Philosophy, Sports and the African American Experience with John McClendon. He has written for Socialism & Democracy, Cultural Logic, and The Black Scholar, among other journals.

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