African-Centered Research Methodologies

After almost three centuries of employing Western research methodologies, many African communities, both on the continent and throughout the world, remain marginalized in contemporary discourse. It is obvious that these Western methodologies have done relatively little good for Africans. To rectify this oversight and bring these African communities to the fore, a shift in perspective is needed, and this book posits the adoption of alternative, African-centered research methodologies as a solution. Employing such methodologies would enable African communities to define their unique identities from their unique perspectives and would help offer a long-overdue challenge to entrenched European paradigms of Africans as the “other.” To enable readers to apply a methodology systematically in investigating a phenomenon of interest to him/her, chapters in African-Centered Research Methodologies include: An introduction to the method discussedA definition of the methodThe sub-areas of the methodA brief history and brief backgrounds of the pioneers of the methodMajor research questions investigated by the methodMajor concepts and/or theories of the methodMajor research topics covered by the methodTypes of methodological approaches employedMajor academic journals and publications that publish works utilizing the methodA sample of outstanding scholarly works that have employed the methodA conclusion