Cedric Payne McGill University

November, 2014

4 Fallacies of New Afrocentrism

In “Europe Upside Down, Fallacies of the New Afrocentrism,” Kwame Anthony

Appiah’s interpretation that societies are intricate and assorted, is imparted in his scrutiny
of Afrocentrism; a social advancement headed by African Americans. Appiah’s focal
point is directed at claims by Afrocentrists who believe Africa has a Unitarian culture
with common origin in Ancient Egypt.
  Appiah simply believes that Afrocentrism is Eurocentrism flipped upside down;
this belief is supported by his citation of the nineteenth-century European scholastic
system, where students are instructed that the roots of Western civilization are found in
Ancient Greece. He argues his point by stating that European Scholars neglected to
realize the impact Egyptians had on the Greeks and the Jewish commitment to Western
society. “Western Scholarship presupposes that Africans have produced very little of
much cultural worth, cultural sophistication or value.”(Appiah 1).  Appiah disputes that
Eurocentricty, within the American School system, fails to nurture celebratory African
History and actively damages the self-esteem of black children.
  Further, through the promotion Afrocentrism by rap stars, Appiah believes
misrepresentations of Afrocentric views are portrayed to society. Having been paired
with misogyny and homophobia, Afrocentrism had become a key ingredient used to
create a, “cultural brew as noxious as any currently available in popular culture.” (Appiah
2) The period discussed by Appiah is known as: The Golden Age of Hip-Hop. This time
period of self-expression gave the African-American community an opportunity to
rejuvenate the importance of Afrocentric Identity. Appiah’s generalization of The Golden
Age is a poor reflection of the positive message expressed by Golden Age artists; these
artists helped the black community reconnect to their fairly suppressed African culture
and history in a period of racial stigma.
  As a response to the 19th century formulation of classism during the
enlightenment, a large preoccupation with racial matters grew. The thought of western
heritage as a racial possession influenced Afrocentrists such as Cheikh Anta Diop to
argue the thesis of African origins of Greek civilization. Diop strongly believes that,
“Ancient Egypt was a Negro civilization [and] the moral fruit of their civilization is to be
counted among the assets of the black world.” In Appiahs words, “[Diop] pursued a
complex agenda, in which the splendors of Europe were seen as a reason for
contemporary African pride and the cultural unity derived from a common African source
as the basis for modern African political unity.” (Appiah 2)  Diops ideologies go against
the interconnections and interdependencies of biology and culture. “Racial identity with
the Egyptians makes their achievements a moral asset for contemporary blacks.” (Appiah
2) Appiah claims Afrocentrist interest in the color of Ancient Egyptians readily comes
from the thought that if an individual is black than they must be of African lineage.
  The importance of distinguishing a racial identity for Egyptians allows modern-
day Africans to acquire a sense of pride for the significant Egyptian technological,
cultural and structural advancements. Eurocentrism plays a role in adding more pressure
to Afrocentrists who want to eliminate the Eurocentristic claim that Egypt could not be
black. Appiah states, “The notion that there is something unitary called African culture
that could thus be summarized has been subjected to devastating critique by a generation
Cedric Payne McGill University
November, 2014

of African intellectuals.” (Appiah 4)   Therefore, the Afrocentric quest to find a common
African culture among all inhabitants of Upper Nile is farfetched.
Kwame Anthony Appiah’s creates parallels between the various ideologies of
Afrocentiric and Eurocentric beliefs that beg the question, “Are Afrocentrism and
Eurocentrism the same thing?” While Appiah offers his thoughts on how they differ, his
claim that Afrocentrism is merely Eurocentrism flipped upside down allows one to
believe they are simply reciprocated with similar values. The only differing factor,
between the two ideologies, is the scholars who follow and preach each respective
ideology. As Appiah stated, “Afrocentrism chooses Egypt because Eurocentrism had
already made a claim on it.” (Appiah 3)  African accounts of African culture appear in
the writings of Afrocentrism and European views of Eurocentrism express their personal
accounts as well.  In turn, while both ideologies conflict, they are very much similar and
are crucial for the comprehension of Unitarian culture in Ancient Egypt.

Citation Note: My thoughts about Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism are drawn from the
essay Europe Upside Down, Fallacies of the New Afrocentrism by Kwame Anthony
Appiah.

- Appiah , Kwame Anthony . Europe Upside Down: Fallacies of New Afrocentrism.

London: Blackwell Publishers, 1997. Print.