Maulana Karenga: An Intellectual Portrait

In this book, the most prolific contemporary African American scholar and cultural theorist Molefi Kete Asante leads the reader on an informative journey through the mind of Maulana Karenga, one of the key cultural thinkers of our time. Not only is Karenga the creator of Kwanzaa, an extensive and widespread celebratory holiday based on his philosophy of Kawaida, he is an activist-scholar committed to a "dignity-affirming" life for all human beings. Asante examines the sources of Karenga's intellectual preoccupations and demonstrates that Karenga's concerns with the liberation narratives and mythic realities of African people are rooted in the best interests of a collective humanity.

The book shows Karenga to be an intellectual giant willing to practice his theories in order to manifest his intense emotional attachment to culture, truth and justice. Asante's enlightening presentation and riveting critique of Karenga's works reveal a compelling account of a thinker whose contributions extend far beyond the Academy. Although Karenga began his career as a student activist, a civil rights leader, a Pan Africanist, and a culturalist, he ultimately succeeds in turning his fierce commitment to truth toward dissecting political, social, and ethical issues. Asante carefully analyzes Karenga's important works on Black Studies, but also his earlier works on culture and his later works on ethics, such as The Husia, and Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings.

Author: Molefi Kete Asante
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 12/01/2009
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.52w x 0.66d
ISBN13: 9780745648286
ISBN10: 0745648282
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | African American & Black Studies
- Biography & Autobiography | Political
- Biography & Autobiography | Cultural, Ethnic & Regional | General

About the Author
Molefi Kete Asante is Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Temple University.

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