Africology and the Question of Disciplinary Language

In: Journal of black studies, Band 52, Heft 5, S. 447-464

Abstract

This essay is a contribution to Africology's discipline-building. It examines more particularly the importance of disciplinary language, stressing the need for clear language and consistent definitions. Of particular concern are terms like "African-centeredness" and "Africancentered" which have never been clearly defined although they are widely used. This clout, this essay argues, impedes discipline-building efforts by introducing and sustaining semantic and terminological incoherence.