Understanding an Afrocentric World View: Introduction to an Optimal Psychology stands as a groundbreaking and timeless classic in the field of Africana Studies, Psychology, and Human Development. Its reverberating in-depth analysis of and prescriptive cure for racism and other societal isms identifies the essential factors at their core and how to change them. Dr. Linda James Myers provides rare insights into social forces behind the systemic racism that have been with us for over 400 years. Her time tested Optimal Conceptual Theory and its corollary psychotherapeutic strategies unearth the characteristics of the suboptimal mindset that keeps us trapped in the vicious pattern of oppressive injustice that is harmful to ourselves as well as others, and its optimal alternative. Unlike other treatise on the subject, James Myers offers readers the tools and developmental processes for making the shift in consciousness needed for improving the quality of their own lives and for creating a just, sacred, and sustainable world. Her comprehensive holistic and integrative approach reflects a Black cultural perspective seldom heard, but proven effective and traceable to the beginnings of all human culture and civilization.

The Afrocentric Praxis of Teaching for Freedom explains and illustrates how an African worldview, as a platform for culture-based teaching and learning, helps educators to retrieve African heritage and cultural knowledge which have been historically discounted and decoupled from teaching and learning. The book has three objectives: To exemplify how each of the emancipatory pedagogies it delineates and demonstrates is supported by African worldview concepts and parallel knowledge, general understandings, values, and claims that are produced by that worldview To make African Diasporan cultural connections visible in the curriculum through numerous examples of cultural continuities––seen in the actions of Diasporan groups and individuals––that consistently exhibit an African worldview or cultural framework To provide teachers with content drawn from Africa’s legacy to humanity as a model for locating all students––and the cultures and groups they represent––as subjects in the curriculum and pedagogy of schooling This book expands the Afrocentric praxis presented in the authors’ "Re-membering" History in Teacher and Student Learning by combining "re-membered" (democratized) historical content with emancipatory pedagogies that are connected to an African cultural platform.

The author has written this book entitled 'Afrocentricity' especially for those Africans still in a confused state in order to show them the way to peace. Further he indicates that the book has created its own supporters and detractors and has also been at the core of intense debates about the de-colonizing of the African mind, the dismantling of America, and the destabilizing of the Eurocentric hegemony. This book is not meant to be unread, un-remarked upon, or unheard. Afrocentrists have multiplied in the theaters, universities, unions, political organizations, schools, and corporations. The challenge to the white racial hierarchy has been intense and severe; there can be no hiding from the agency of awakened Africans. In the next few decades it is anticipated that a mighty revolution of values, symbols, and actions might bring about a more equitable society. This revolution for justice and liberty shall be led by the aroused black nation committed to a world of peace.

The Afrocentric School, a Blueprint is a handbook that guides the prospective educationist, parent, student, and reader to understand African cultural history from an Afrocentric theoretical perspective. Africa is placed in the center of the African experience from the ancient times until now. Who were we? This book endeavors to answer that question. This handbook humbly offers some ideas based on ancient African principles that relate to the critical role of teaching our children. Grounded in the love of African humanity-women, men, girls, and boys, this handbook counters anti-African and anti-Black beliefs that have been propounded over centuries. This work expresses the recognition that there exists a range of African cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors just as there is amongst the different peoples who conquered Africa. In this work, the cultural legacy and heritage of Africa is embraced with the aim of providing adequate knowledge to achieve a reawakening of the cultural memory. The handbook provides a foundational curriculum for children aged 3-15 years, and its standards are based upon expectations developed from a baseline study on child development and education. The curriculum can be particularly helpful for those interested in or who are already teaching children of African descent; it can appeal to those who have established Afrocentric schools, those who are endeavoring to do so, those who wish to amplify an existing curriculum, those who want to teach their children, or those who simply wish to expand their knowledge.

Afrocentricityùthe placement of African values and ideals at the center of the discussion surrounding African culture, discourse, and behaviorùis an important framework that has emerged over the past decade. In this timely volume, editor Janice D. Hamlet has chosen essays that illuminate various aspects of African American culture, refracted through the lens of Afrocentric thought. In Part I, the basics of Afrocentric ideology and methodology are examined. Part II focuses on Afrocentric approaches to the dynamics of communication. The Afrocentric influence on the black aesthetic is covered in Part III, with an examination of language, literature, oral tradition, movies, and television. Part IV provides a glimpse into the future of Afrocentric visions.

Afrocentricity is a philosophical and theoretical perspective that emphasizes the study of Africans as subjects, not as objects, and is opposed to perspectives that attempt to marginalize African thought and experience. Afrocentricity became popular in the l980s as scores of African American and African scholars adopted an Afrocentric orientation to information. The editor of this collection argues that as scholars embark upon the 21st century, they can no longer be myopic in their perceptions and analyses of race. The seventeen essays examine a wide range of variations on the Afrocentric paradigm in the areas of history, literature, political science, philosophy, economics, women's studies, cultural studies, ethnic studies and social policy. The essays, written by professors, librarians, students and others in higher education who have embraced the Afrocentric perspective, are divided into four sections: "Pedagogy and Implementation," "Theoretical Assessment," "Critical Analysis," and "Pan Africanist Thought."

This collection of essays engages two of the most fundamental social and political issues of our time: community and identity. Wrestling with the perplexities of these two issues within the Africana world, the contributors delve into the influences of a postmodern world of globalization with outdated, crumbling forms of identity and sociality. In the wake of such an order, new forms of identity and community must be established. Birt has collected an informed group of contributors here, who lay the foundation for a new approach to finding community and identity in the Africana world.

A thoughtful text integrating strengths, assets, and capacity-building themes with contemporary issues in rural social work practice Now in its second edition, Rural Social Work is a collection of contributed readings from social work scholars, students, and practitioners presenting a framework for resource building based on the strengths, assets, and capacities of people, a tool essential for working with rural communities. This guide considers methods for social workers to participate in the work of sustaining rural communities. Each chapter features a reading integrating the themes of capacity-building and rural social work; discussion questions that facilitate critical thinking around the chapter; and suggested activities and assignments. Rural Social Work, Second Edition explores: Important practice issues in rural communities, including the challenges of working with stigmatized populations such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, the homeless, and people living with HIV/AIDS Practice models that hold special promise for rural social workers, including evidence-based practice and community partnership models Newer research tools such as asset mapping, social network analysis, concept mapping, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Exploring how social workers can integrate the tremendous resources that exist in rural communities into their practice, Rural Social Work, Second Edition provides a solid introduction to the complex, challenging, and rewarding work of building and sustaining rural communities.

Describes the introduction of an Afrocentric curriculum into an Oakland, California, high school during the 1990s.

Despite their best intentions, professionals in the helping fields are influenced by a deficit perspective that is pervasive in research, theory, training programs, workforce preparation programs, statistical data, and media portrayals of marginalized groups. They enter their professions ready to fix others and their interactions are grounded in an assumption that there will be a problem to fix. They are rarely taught to approach their work with a positive view that seeks to identify the existing strengths and assets contributed by individuals who are in difficult circumstances. Moreover, these professionals are likely to be entirely unaware of the deficit-based bias that influences the way they speak, act, and behave during those interactions. Reconstructing Perceptions of Systemically Marginalized Groups demonstrates that all individuals in marginalized groups have the potential to be successful when they are in a strengths-based environment that recognizes their value and focuses on what works to promote positive outcomes, rather than on barriers and deficits. Covering key topics such as education practices, adversity, and resilience, this reference work is ideal for industry professionals, administrators, psychologists, policymakers, researchers, academicians, scholars, instructors, and students.