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African Worldview Essay

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World view and Culture within Africana Studies
Kimberly Grant
Hunter College: Introduction to Africana Studies – 02

The definition of world view has various definitions depending on the subject it is being used in. They, however, basically have the same concept which is how people see or view the world around them. According to Carroll “worldview refers to the way in which a people make sense of their surroundings: make sense of life and of the universe” (Carroll, 2008). One’s world view often stem from life experiences. “A person may be educated or uneducated, liberal or conservative… but all people act and live in certain ways because they are guided by particular worldviews.” (Samples, 2007) This shows how universal world view is. It can also be based in one’s culture, per an anthropologist, can be described as “people’s way of life in terms of all the customs and institutions which distinguish it.” (Redfield, …show more content…
A person with minimal knowledge of the area of study may define African Studies as the study of Africans and their counterparts. While an individual in the field may give a more scholarly definition such as that of Carroll who defines Africana Studies as “the critical analysis of the Africana experience, people and culture, through the usage of the Afrikan worldview, with the ultimate goal of changing the life chances of Afrikan descended peoples.” (Carroll, 2008) One’s way of life can impact the way they view the world. Their perspectives of what the world is, is based on what they have experienced in the world. African’s are rich in culture, from the way they dress, the music they play, the festivities they celebrate, the food they eat and how they reap these foods. Most of African culture stem from way of survival from slavery, some of which are practiced today. The African worldview is the view of Africans themselves and not from whites or non- Africans. (Udeani,

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