The Invention of a tradition: The role of historical sources in the debate between Afrocentrists and their critics

Abstract

This article aims at analysing the use of historical sources in the debate between the philosophical current of Afrocentricity and the criticisms it received. Afrocentricity, especially in the version elaborated by Asante, proposes a radical revision and the overcoming of the Eurocentric paradigm. Its groundwork is the idea that the philosophical and scientific thought emerged in Africa, namely in Egyptian civilization, considered as a «black» one, according to the lesson of Anta Diop. The historical evidences used by Afrocentrists have been largely disputed. The article aims at pointing out the strong relationship among philosophical elaboration, ideological apparatus and «invention» of a historical tradition by Afrocentricity. The instrumental use made by Afrocentricity in relation to the sources clashes with the basic rules of history as a science. Hence, the harsh criticisms Afrocentricity received, due to its scarce epistemological and methodological reliability.