by Michael Moss
First published 2015
Michael Moss tackles the complex terrain of African American religious and spiritual systems by rejecting European analytical frameworks entirely. He argues that meaningful examination requires adopting an African centered perspective as the foundation for understanding. Moss contends that African people cannot accurately assess themselves or Europeans while operating within European conceptual boundaries. He identifies European educational processes as sources of contamination and indoctrination that distort African self-perception. The author calls for African people to abandon the European worldview constraints that have shaped their education. Only by establishing this African centered frame of reference can proper critical analysis occur. Moss presents this reorientation as necessary for African people to gain clear understanding of both their own identity and their relationship with white people, free from the distortions he attributes to European influenced thinking.
Genres: african-american, african-literature, religion, academic
Vibes: academic, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-perspective, cultural-critique
Setting: Africa
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
198 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform