Black women in the academy : promises and perils /

In this collection, 33 African American women professors and administrators discuss their professional, scholarly, and personal lives--a dialogue usually absent in current discourses, even women's studies. Showing remarkable resilience, they tell stories of triumph against all odds in institutions still dominated by white males. Contributors deal with the impact of racism and sexism and how marginalization threatens to make them invisible. The investigations range from speculative and empirical to experiential and stream-of-consciousness. Anecdotal accounts are enlightening. A few authors draw objective conclusions from subjective analyses. Some beg the question by using "objectivistic" and "reductionistic Western scientific" methods to prove that these very methods are faulty. Although depictions of Eurocentric-Afrocentric dualism occasionally seem extreme and unhelpful, the contributors skillfully deconstruct the hegemony of the "Eurocentric" and "androcentric" academy. They suggest an Afrocentricism rich with inclusive, holistic, matricentric sensibilities. They see the value of cooperation, collectivity, and harmony in pedagogy, arguing that emotion, intuition, and spirituality cannot be detached from any human affair. An intellectually rich addition to recent discussion. All levels. C. Maroufi; California State University, Los Angeles