Fw: bell hooks (1952 - 2021)

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Emeagwali, Gloria (History)

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Dec 16, 2021, 1:54:08 PM12/16/21
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From: Abdul Alkalimat <mcwo...@illinois.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2021 10:17 AM
To: abdul...@lists.illinois.edu <abdul...@lists.illinois.edu>
Subject: bell hooks (1952 - 2021)
 

Biko Agozino

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Dec 16, 2021, 5:49:49 PM12/16/21
to 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series
Huge loss. I nearly asked her this question but the queue to ask questions was long. I managed to ask the same question to Cornel West during his Democracy Matters tour, having identified the gap in both of their knowledge about Africa in their joint text, Breaking Bread. The question is why they avoid citing African authorities when such references would support some of their arguments. For instance, Cornel West quotes jazz musicians alongside Russian novelists, American and Greek philosophers on something like democracy whereas Greek city states were not democratic - they were monarchical enslaving societies where women and children were not citizens just like in the history of America. Surely, people of African descent have better lessons in the history and novels of direct democracies in non-monarchical African societies than from societies with the slavery mode of production when it comes to advancing democracy. Being a feminist theorist of African descent, why did bell hooks ignore the work of African feminists and womanists who could have supported many of her theories and thereby made her work more relevant to Africana Studies? I enjoy learning from and citing hooks but a prominent African female intellectual asked me this question; that woman you are citing all the time, has she ever cited you or the African women writing similar stuff? If not why not? Cornel West answered me the question by promising to cite more African sources in the future, but he is yet to do so o. Why now?

Biko

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Toyin Falola

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Dec 16, 2021, 5:54:04 PM12/16/21
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Biko:

Is Black Studies and African Studies the same?

They float dangerously apart, in conflict-embedded academic spaces, avoiding activists who attempt to blend both.

TF

Biko Agozino

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Dec 16, 2021, 6:36:09 PM12/16/21
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The resources turf war is real, African Studies programs may benefit from Title 7 funding from the State Department for less taught languages and area studies, with scholars of European descent being more prominent in the field. Black Studies, African American Studies, Africana Studies, or Afreicology, is more revolutionary, having emerged from the organized demand of students and their allies in the community, Black and others, and making the road for other programs like Women and Gender Studies, Labor Studies, Hispanic Studies, Jewish Studies, Critical Islam Studies, Asian American Studies, Caribbean Studies, Lesbian and Gay Studies, even Critical Whiteness Studies, etc, that did not exist before there was Black Studies. I prefer Africana Studies and would like to see the elite African Studies programs around the world transformed into Africana Studies programs to cover the global African presence through critical, creative, and centered intellectual-activism.

Biko

Abidogun, Jamaine M

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Dec 16, 2021, 6:53:12 PM12/16/21
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prayers for her spirit's transition to Nirvana where her wisdom and fierce,  fearless compassion may touch all our souls
From: 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2021 9:48:56 AM
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Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fw: bell hooks (1952 - 2021)
 
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Abidogun, Jamaine M

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Dec 17, 2021, 8:25:31 AM12/17/21
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bell hooks (Sep 25, 1952 - Dec 15, 2021) one of the most influential writers for empowerment & inclusion - a mentor for life.


Mourning our loss🙏
From: 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
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Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 17, 2021, 8:28:00 AM12/17/21
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New to me

Critical Whiteness Studies

Even though no one is white in colour

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Emeagwali, Gloria (History)

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Dec 17, 2021, 8:28:17 AM12/17/21
to 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series

By the way , Biko, this is not the appropriate
 time for this kind of discussion. Is that 
how you treat a sister who passed away - 
castigating her over citations? Why not focus
 on her strengths at this delicate time? 

Your eulogy:  “Sorry about her passing 
but she did not quote this one or that one.”






Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association
From: 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2021 4:40 PM

To: 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fw: bell hooks (1952 - 2021)
 

Emeagwali, Gloria (History)

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Dec 17, 2021, 8:28:43 AM12/17/21
to 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series


The solution is probably Africana Studies
as you suggest, but these have  been on for
a few decades.

 African Studies initially was set
up to facilitate espionage, during
the Cold War. It aimed at  data collection 
and lacked the revolutionary activist
spirit and scholarship.




Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association

From: 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2021 6:22 PM
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fw: bell hooks (1952 - 2021)
 

Please be cautious: **External Email**

Biko Agozino

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Dec 17, 2021, 1:29:27 PM12/17/21
to 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series
Sister Glo, I knew you will be bussing head for your name sake. The good thing is that she has attained immortality as a productive scholar. Millions of years to come, people will still be citing her and insisting that bell hooks says this or that as if she is still with us. The avoidance of African scholars is common among the African diaspora and I saw this as a gap to be filled by future generations. My question remains unanswered - why neglect the sources from home even when they support your case? As I said, I am a big fan of bell hooks but I have been scratching my head about this apparently deliberate omission in her work and that of Cornel West who agreed that I have a point.

Biko

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