First, the Afrocentric method considers that no phenomenon can be apprehended adequately without locating it first. Phenom must be studied and analyzed in relationship to psychological time and space. It must always be located. This is the only way to investigate the complex interrelationships of science and art, design and execution, creation and maintenance, generation and tradition, and other areas bypassed by theory.

Second, the Afrocentric method considers phenomena to be diverse, dynamic, and in motion, and therefore it is necessary for a person to accurately note and record the location of phenomena even in the midst of fluctuations. This means that the investigator must know where he or she is standing in the process.

Third, the Afrocentric method is a form of cultural criticism that examines etymological uses of words and terms in order to know the source of an author's location. This allows for the intersection of ideas with actions and actions with ideas on the basis of what is pejorative and ineffective and what is creative and transformative at the political and economic levels.

Fourth, the Afrocentric method seeks to uncover the masks behind the rhetoric of power, privilege, and position to establish how principal myths create place. The method enthrones critical reflection that reveals the perception of monolithic power as nothing but the projection of a cadre of adventurers.

Fifth, the Afrocentric method locates the imaginative structure of a system of economics, bureau of politics, policy of government, and expression of cultural form in the attitude, direction, and language of the phenom, be it text, institution, personality, interaction, or event.

Analytic Afrocentricity is the application of the principles of the Afrocentric method to textual analysis. An Afrocentrist seeks to understand the principles of the Afrocentric method so that he or she may use them as a guide in analysis and discourse. It goes without saying that the Afrocentrist cannot function properly as a scientist or humanist if he or she does not adequately locate the phenom in time and space. This means that chronology is as important in some situations as location. The two aspects of analysis are central to any proper understanding of society, history, or personality.

Inasmuch as phenoms are active, dynamic, and diverse in society, the Afrocentric method requires the scientist to focus on accurate notations and recording of space and time. In fact, the best way to apprehend location of a text is to first determine where the researcher is located in time and space. Once the location and time of the researcher or author are known, it is fairly easy to establish the parameters for the phenom itself. The value of etymology, that is, the origin of terms and words, is in the proper identification and location of concepts. The Afrocentrist seeks to demonstrate clarity by exposing dislocations, disorientations, and decenteredness. One of the simplest ways of accessing textual clarity is through etymology.

Myths tie all relationships together, whether personal or conceptual. It is the Afrocentrist's task to determine to what extent the myths of society are represented as being central to, or marginal to, society. This means that any textual analysis must involve the concrete realities of lived experiences, thus making historical experiences a key element in analytical Afrocentricity. In examining attitude, direction, and language, the Afrocentrist is seeking to uncover the imagination of the author. What one seeks to do is to create an opportunity for the writer to show where he or she stands in relationship to the subject. Is the writer centered, or is the writer marginalized within his or her own story?

The philosophy of Afrocentricity as expounded by Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, central figures of the Temple School, is a way of answering all cultural, economic, political, and social questions related to African people from a centered position. Indeed, Afrocentricity cannot be reconciled to any hegemonic or idealistic philosophy. It is opposed to radical individualism as expressed in the postmodern school. But it is also opposed to spookism, confusion, and superstition. As an example of the differences between the methods of Afrocentricity and postmodernism, consider the following question, "Why have Africans been shut out of global development?"

The postmodernist would begin by saying that there is no such thing as "Africans" because there are many different types of Africans and all Africans are not equal. The postmodernist would go on to say that if there were Africans and if the conditions were as described by the querist, then the answer would be that Africans had not fully developed their own capacities in relationship to the global economy and therefore they are outside of the normal development patterns of the world economy. On the other hand, the Afrocentrist does not question the fact that there is a collective sense of Africanity revealed in the common experiences of the African world. The Afrocentrist would look to the questions of location, control of the hegemonic global economy, marginalization, and power positions as keys to understanding the underdevelopment of African people.

Bibliography:

1) Asante, Molefi Kete. 1998. The Afrocentric Idea. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

2) Mazama, Ama, ed. 2003. The Afrocentric Paradigm. Trenton, NJ: Africa World.

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