These essays contribute to the debate between those who believe that the African origin of blacks in western society is central to their identity and outlook and those who deny that proposition. The contributors ponder the key questions underlying that controversy. Their 33 essays are divided into five main parts: The Diaspora: Orientation and Determinations; Addressing the Constraints; Race, Gender, and Image; Creativity, Spirituality, and Identity; and Reconnecting with Africa. This book contributes to the debate between those who believe that the African origin of blacks in Western society is central to their identity and outlook and those who deny that proposition. In 33 essays, world-renowned scholars explore key questions underlying this controversy: What is the character of New World black cultures and what are their relationships with the plural societies within which they function? How did Africans manage to create viable lives for themselves in a new place? How were they able to negotiate the complex social, political and cultural spaces they encountered? How has their ancestral heritage co-existed with that of other peoples with whom they have been forced to live? This volume seeks a balanced look at the fate of the African presence in Western society as well as insights into the sources of periodic conflict between blacks and others. Contributors include Niyi Afolabi, Adetayo Alabi, Celia M. Azevedo, Antonio Benitez-Rojo, Eliana Guerreiro Ramos Bennett, LeGrace Benson, Ira Kincade Blake, Jack S. Blocker, Jr., Sharon Aneta Bryant, Patience Elabor-Idemudia, Michael J. C. Echeruo, Peter P. Ekeh, David Evans, Robert Elliott Fox, Andrea Frohne, Joseph E. Inikori, Joyce Ann Joyce, Joseph McLaren, Charles Martin, Ali A. Mazrui, Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, Nkiru Nzegwu, Isidore Okpewho, Oyekan Owomoyela, Laura J. Pires-Hester, Richard Price, Sally Price, Jean Rahier, Sandra L. Richards, Elliott P. Skinner, Alvin B. Tillery, Jr., Keith Q. Warner, Maureen Warner-Lewis, and Kimberly Welch.

Isidore Okpewho was Chair of Afro-American and African Studies at the State University of New York, Binghamton, and convener of the conference (in 1996) that gave rise to this book.

Carole Boyce Davies is Director of African-New World Studies and Professor of English at Florida International University.

Ali A. Mazrui is Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at the State University of New York, Binghamton, and author of more than twenty books.

Contributors include Niyi Afolabi, Adetayo Alabi, Celia M. Azevedo, Antonio BenÃtez-Rojo, Eliana Guerreiro Ramos Bennett, LeGrace Benso n, Ira Kincade Blake, Jack S. Blocker, Jr., Sharon Aneta Bryant, Michael J. C. Echeruo, Peter P. Ekeh, Patience Elabor-Idemudia, David Evans, Robert Elliot Fox, Andrea Frohne, Joseph E. Inikori, Joyce Ann Joyce, Joseph McLaren, Charles Martin, Ali A. Mazrui, Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, Nkiru Nzegwu, Isidore Okpewho, Oyekan Owomoyela, Laura J. Pires-Hester, Richard Price, Sally Price, Jean Rahier, Sandra L. Richards, Elliott P. Skinner, Alvin B. Tillery, Jr., Keith Q. Warner, Maureen Warner-Lewis, and Kimberly Welch.