The Myth of the Negro Past, Melville J. Herskovits

[wezekana]

In his book, The Myth of the Negro Past, Melville J. Herskovits debunks the longstanding myth that the remnant of the African Diaspora in the Americas are without a cultural past. Published way back in 1941, this unprecedented chronicling of the racist academic procedures practiced by most white scholars peers into the subject of the retainment of an African cultural identity and draws parallels between traditional African cultures and their counterparts in the New World. Acute in its unbiased vision and studious in its attempts to relate information previously (and heretofore purposefully) overlooked or omitted, the book describes a rich African heritage in religious and secular life, the language and arts, flowing interrupted even into the Americas, in spite of the harsh conditions of slavery and colonial interference.

A must read.

The full text in pdf file can be downloaded or perused here...
http://ia331310.us.archive.org/0/items/mythofthenegropa033515mbp/mythofthenegropa033515mbp.pdf

[Tyehimba]

What are some of the important things you drew from the book?

[wezekana]

Secondarily, a small degree of insight into the parallels and similitudes between continental African linguistic styles and word-forms still existent amongst the remnants of the African diaspora elsewhere, and primarily the idea that not all 20th century europeon chroniclers and compilers of information based on African history, contemporary life and society were as biased as I had previously believed.