Part1
Primitive and alienated from the rest of the world. Hegel viewed Africa as a world enveloped on a dark mantle of the night. It is a land shut-up from the rest of the world and often presumed to be static from development perspectives.
Stereotypes associated with Africa includes being under-developed, unhistorical, wild, and untamed.
Definition of terms
Assimilation means an adaptation of a minority group to the norms or directions of a larger group. In this case, the way of life of the minor group becomes similar to that of the dominant one (Brubaker, 534).
Acculturation is the contact between individual members of groups with different cultures that produce a conflict and the need for negotiation that results in adaptation for both parties. In this case, the groups in conflict borrow ideas from each, but the dominant group acculturates the less dominant (Berry, 697).
Transculturation is the merging of cultures leading to the uprooting of the previous one and the creation of a new one (Krause).
Creolization is the creation of new cultures resulting from displacement and de-territorialization of communities i.e. regionally neighboring societies merging their cultures (Romberg).
Part 2
Diop felt that Africa needed to mobilize its energy towards ending repression. During this time, most West African nations were under the French and faced a political crisis.
African personality in Diop’s work is the national temperament that binds people together and their history and language. I believe that character develops from the experiences a community encounter from historical perspectives. The experience determines the morals and language of the community and, therefore, defines precisely the African personality.
The Koran is the Islamic sacred text that Muslims believe to be the word of God.
The social-historical approach focuses on the experiences of people in the past (based on social organization features such as leadership) while ethnographic perspective deals with the people and their culture.
I believe that the most significant tool of alienation is a wrong history of the people that create a false perception. For example, presuming that Africa had no history. Others like viewing African religion, language and contribution to mainstream science as inferior also create cultural alienation.
Yes, there has been efforts to rehabilitate the “Black culture.” For example, Professor Harold G. Lawrence picked an idea mentioned in the L'Afrique Noire precoloniale with the aim of carrying out more research. UNESCO also focuses on improving education in Africa to enlighten more people.
Works cited
Berry John, w. Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 29 (2005) 697–712. PDF. Accessed on August 28, 2016. Available at <http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic551691.files/Berry.pdf>
Brubaker Roger. The return of assimilation? Changing perspectives on immigration and its sequels In France, Germany, and the United States. Ethnic and Racial Studies Vol. 24 No.4 July 2001 pp. 531–54. 2001 Taylor & Francis Ltd. Accessed on August 28, 2016. Available at <http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/brubaker/Publications/21_Return_of_Assimilati on.pdf>
Krause Stefan. Transculturation. 2006. Web. Accessed August 28, 2016. Available at <http://www.iaa.uni-rostock.de/american-antiquity/project/theories/transculturation/>
Romberg Raquel. Revisiting Creolization. 2002. Web. Accessed August 28, 2016. Available at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/folklore/center/ConferenceArchive/voiceover/creolization.html
