Encyclopedia of Black Studies

The Encyclopedia of Black Studies is the leading reference source for dynamic and innovative research on the Black experience. The concept for the encyclopedia was developed from the successful Journal of Black Studies (SAGE) and contains a full analysis of the economic, political, sociological, historical, literary, and philosophical issues related to Americans of African descent. This single-volume reference is the vanguard of the recent explosive growth in quality scholarship in the field. More than a chronicle of black culture or black people, this encyclopedia deals with the emergence and maturity of an intellectual field over the past four decades. Beginning with the protests at San Francisco State College in 1967 that led to the first degree-granting department of Black Studies, the field’s rapid growth over time necessitates an authoritative account of the discipline.

In the 1960s Black Studies emerged as both an academic field and a radical new ideological paradigm. Editors Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama (Black Studies, Temple U.), both influential and renowned scholars, have compiled an encyclopedia for students, high school and beyond, and general readers. It presents analysis of key individuals, events, and economic, historical, literary, philosophical and sociological issues important to peoples of African descent, irrespective of national origin. Organized alphabetically, the 482 individual entries offer a concise, yet detailed, subject overview. Each entry is signed and includes a brief list of suggestions for further reading. Entries are cross-referenced. Supplementary appendices include a chronology tracing the evolution of Black Studies, as well as lists of advanced degree-granting programs in the U.S., major Black Studies journals, and suggested resources. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

Although remarkably different in many ways, these reference works actually overlap. The highly selective Encyclopedia of Black Studies (EBS), edited by Asante, founding editor of Journal of Black Studies, and colleague Mazama (both African American studies, Temple Univ.), focuses on the conceptual, often reading like a basic textbook, with good suggestions for further reading. It is made up of 240-plus signed essays examining key issues related to black studies, from its emergence in the 1960s to the present, including the relationship of African American studies to African studies, the culture wars of the 1980s, and the Marxist influence on the lives of African Americans. The lists of doctoral programs, major journal titles, and professional associations are helpful inclusions. However, some omissions are quite shocking: while the Mali Empire and Mansa Kankan Musa earn attention, for example, there is no entry for the Civil Rights Movement or for a monumental figure like Martin Luther King Jr. The editors' desire to escape the limiting perspectives of African American studies and embrace a more expanded view of black studies cannot exonerate them from such brazen oversights. Encyclopedia of African American Society (EAAS), on the other hand, is truly comprehensive. Edited by Jaynes (African American studies & economics, Yale Univ.; Branches Without Roots: Genesis of the Black Working Class in the American South, 1862-1882), the two-volume set touches on virtually every aspect of African American life and history, including entertainment, literature, politics, religion, sports, and law. In more than 700 signed essays, it recounts the intellectual underpinnings that defined a people and their movements, explains actions that transformed a nation, and describes the personalities and realities that shaped and continue to shape the black experience in America. Unlike the EBS, which aims for a larger perspective, the EAAS, as if to counter the former, works to maintain an African American focus. Thus, the two works complement each other well, though more by their omissions than by any positive design. Bottom Line Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, edited by Henry Louis Gates and others, surpasses both of these resources in scope and dimension. Comprehensive academic collections, however, may want to consider them, though they are best purchased as a pair.-Edward K. Owusu-Ansah, CUNY Coll. of Staten Island Lib. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Molefi Asante is a distinguished scholar and is best known for creating the discipline of Black Studies over 25 years ago.  He is the Editor for the Journal of Black Studies (Sage) and the Encyclopedia of Black Studies (Sage Reference, 12/04  933 units, $82k LTD).  His recent research has centered on the history and present developments of African religions.