The Intent, History and Legacy of Activism and Scholarship in Africana Studies: A Conversation with Dr. James Turner

The following is an excerpt from Voxunion.com, posted on February 17, 2011:

"Dr. James Turner is the founding director of the Africana Studies and Research Center established in 1969 at Cornell University.  Having himself been part of and impacted by burgeoning political and cultural movements from around the world he would become and has been among the most stalwart participants in what is often described as the intellectual arm of a continuing African world liberation struggle.  Among his many contributions academically and otherwise he has helped established and define the field now known as “Africana Studies.”  This field, as summarized by Dr. John Henrik Clarke, is meant to incorporate the experiences and histories of African people, collectively, studied as a whole, in an interdisciplinary fashion and disregarding the false literal and cognitive boundaries inspired by European imperialism."

Dr. James Turner, founding director of the Africana Studies and Research Center, walks across campus in the 1960s.
(Photo Provided by the Africana Studies and Research Center)

You can listen to the full conversation recorded and posted here.