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Encyclopedia of African-American Writing: Five Centuries of Contribution

Asante, Molefi Kete (né Arthur Lee Smith, Jr.)

8/14/1942–

Scholarly writings; cofounding journal editor, educator

Born in Valdosta, GA, Arthur was the fourth child of Arthur and Lily Smith, but he was their first son, and Arthur, Sr., gave him his name. Thirty years later, while Arthur Smith, Jr., was visiting Ghana, King Opoku Ware II gave Arthur the last name Asante, linking him to a Ghanaian tribe (once commonly referred to as the Ashanti). Then, Asante gave himself the first name Molefi, a Sotho name meaning “Keeper of the Traditions,” and he chose as his middle name Kete, meaning “One Who Loves Music and the Dance.” Asante’s chosen first name aptly describes him, as he is the founder of the Afrocentric school of thought and a preeminent scholar of African-American history and traditions. A prolific writer of scholarly works, Asante has written at least 550 scholarly articles and has authored or edited nearly 40 books, including Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change (1980; 2nd ed., 1983); African Culture: The Rhythms of Unity (1985, edited with his wife, Kariamu Welsh Asante); Afrocentricity (1988); Kemet, Afrocentricity and Knowledge (1990); Malcolm X as Cultural Hero and Other Afrocentric Essays (1993); African American History: A Journey of Liberation (1995); African Intellectual Heritage: A Book of Sources (1996, edited with Abu S. Barry); and The Afrocentric Idea (rev. ed., 1998).

Asante perfected his scholarship while earning his Ph.D. in Communication in 1968 at UCLA, where he served as president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In addition to offering his books, he has shared his knowledge with numerous students, first at the State University of New York at Buffalo, then (since 1984) at Temple University in Philadelphia. At Temple, Asante established the first Ph.D. program in African American Studies; he also chaired the department of Africology until 1997. For Asante, the key to Afrocentric thought is an internal orientation, not merely an external manifestation, such as adopting an African name. Instead, “the Afrocentric school of thought,” says Asante, “places Africans at the center of any analysis of ideas, concepts, or people.” That is, “Afrocentricity is an orientation to data, which says that African people are ancient, and should be seen as agents, as subjects, in history, instead of as marginal players on the fringes of Europe.” Because of his research and his work in the classroom, Asante has received more than 100 awards. In 2014, Asante was invited to speak at the General Assembly of the UN.

In the mid-1990s, Asante was enstooled as a king among the Akan of Ghana, partly in recognition for his work on Afrocentricity and for increasing our knowledge and awareness of the history and culture of Africa’s people.He was bestowed the title Wanadoo of Gao in the Court of the Amiru Hassimi Maiga of Songhoy in 2012.

References:

1 

SMKC. Interview between Molefi Asante and Tonya Bolden, Summer 1998. —Tonya Bolden http://www.asante.net/biography/

Editor’s Note:

At the time of this publication, Asante had authored or edited (or coauthored or coedited) more than 60 books, including The African-American Atlas: Black History and Culture (with Mark Mattson, 1998; revised from 1991 version), 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia (2002), Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation (2003), and Encyclopedia of Black Studies (Editor, 2003). His earliest books addressed the topics of rhetoric or mass, public, or intercultural communication (e.g., The Rhetoric of Black Revolution, 1969, written using his birth name). In addition to his scholarly writings, he has written a poetry book (1964, as Arthur L. Smith), an art and antiquities guide (1979, with his wife Kariamu Welsh), a novel (1984), popular books (e.g., two books of African names, 1991, 1999), a high school textbook (1993), an activity book (1997) and a “worktext” (2001), and teacher guides (1997, 2001). Asante also cofounded the bimonthly Journal of Black Studies in 1969 and has been its editor ever since. He has also served as an advisory-board member, advisory editor, associate editor, book reviewer, contributing editor, or editorial associate of several other journals. His writings have also appeared in newspapers (e.g., the Los Angeles Times) and magazines (e.g., Utne Reader), as well as dozens of scholarly journals (e.g., Academe, Black Scholar, Communication Quarterly, Palestine Review).

He and his second wife, Kariamu Welsh, have three children: Kasina Eka, Daahoud Ali, and Molefi Khumalo. “M. K.” Asante has published his own nonfiction and poetry, and he wrote and produced the documentary films 500 Years Later (2005), in which his father appeared, and The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration (2008), starring Maya Angelou.)

References:

2 

AANB. CAO-04. Wiki. Bigelow, Barbara Carlisle, in BB. Amazon.com. “[Molefi Khumalo] ”M. K. Asante," in //www.asante.info/, and in Amazon.com.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
"Asante, Molefi Kete (né Arthur Lee Smith, Jr.)." Encyclopedia of African-American Writing: Five Centuries of Contribution, edited by Bryan Conn & Tara Bynum, Salem Press, 2018. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=AAW3E_0041.
APA 7th
Asante, Molefi Kete (né Arthur Lee Smith, Jr.). Encyclopedia of African-American Writing: Five Centuries of Contribution, In B. Conn & T. Bynum (Eds.), Salem Press, 2018. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=AAW3E_0041.
CMOS 17th
"Asante, Molefi Kete (né Arthur Lee Smith, Jr.)." Encyclopedia of African-American Writing: Five Centuries of Contribution, Edited by Bryan Conn & Tara Bynum. Salem Press, 2018. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=AAW3E_0041.