Nilgün OKUR ANADOLU

Out of “borrowed space”: Multi-culturalist discourse and historiography in the twenty-first century

Tarihyazımına ve tarihiliğe “kendi-merkez” ağırlıklı ve “çokkültürlülük” yaklaşımları ile katılan Çağdaş söylemlerin incelenmesine dayalı bu çalışma, Avrupamerkezci ideolojilerin yaygınlaş- masına karşı Amerikan Akademisinde 1980’lerde güçlü bir alternatif geliştiren Afrikamerkezci felsefenin doğuşunu ve getirdiği önemli evreleri analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Avrupamerkezci düşünce ve Batılı etimolojilerin savunduğu evrensellik ve tarihte öngelinilirlik iddialarının çürütülmesi konusunda Afrosentrik (Afrocenticity) felsefe insanlık ve medeniyet tarihinin başlangıcına dair farklı bir bakış açısı sunmayı hedefler. Birleşik Devletlerde İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri hareketi sonrası ortaya çıkan Siyah Güç ve Siyah Sanatlar Hareketlerinin bir sonucu olarak üniversitelerde Siyah Etütleri departmanları ve programları kurulmuş, böylece Afrosentrik düşünce özgürce tartışılmaya başlanmıştır. Bu düşünce şekli 11 Eylül 2001 sonrasında Orta Doğu, Kuzey Afrika, Asya ve Uzak Doğu ekseninin Batı’ya karşı güçlenmesinde özellikle etkili olurken tüm dünyada yaygınlaşan çatışma karşıtı söylemlerin kabul görmesini ve insan haklarının ivedilikle savunulması yolunda kültürel farklılık düşüncesine öncelik verilmesini sağlamıştır.

Out of “borrowed space”: Multi-culturalist discourse and historiography in twenty-first century

Built upon contemporary discourses about centeredness and multi-culturalist approaches to history and the making of historiography, this study aims to explore the beginnings of the Afrocentric movement in the 1980s as a leading argument against the advent of Eurocentrism, and Eurocentric interpretations of historiography, civilizational agency and organization within academia in the United States. Black Power and Black Arts Movements have contributed to the formation of Black Studies programs and departments throughout the U.S. facilitating the spread of Afrocentric thought. In its demystification of Western etymology and Eurocentric arguments on universality, and historical precedence, Afrocentricity has played a fundamental role in steering culture-centered ideologies to a multitude in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and the Far East which were particularly polarized after September 11, 2001. It has also been influential in generating conflict-resolution discourses while expanding culturalist positions in defense of civil liberties throughout the world.

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