Description: "This is the book to read if you want to understand where Afrocentrism comes from, and why there is practically nothing African about it. As Walker demonstrates with great precision and clarity, its origins can be traced to Europe, and to European fantasies about race and intellectual legacy long since discarded by responsible historians."--Mary Lefkowitz, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Wellesley College, author of Not Out of Africa and co-editor of Black Athena Revisited"A vital contribution to the contemporary debate over Afrocentrism in particular and identity politics in general. Walker places Afrocentrism in historical context, locating its intellectual roots in the race-based romantic nationalism of the 19th Century, tracing its evolution through the recurrent attempts of black intellectuals to create a 'therapeutic mythology' for an oppressed and embattled people. His concise, well-grounded, and brilliantly written book analyzes the fallacies of Afrocentrist scholarship, and--more importantly--shows how its falsification of history robs black people of their real past, and thereby defeats its 'therapeutic' aim."--Richard Slotkin, author of Gunfighter Nation"In this boldly conceived and well-executed analysis, Walker basically questions Afrocentrism as a form of historical consciousness. Intriguing and challenging, this work will appeal to scholars and students of African American studies and race relations in America."--Library Journal

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