Recovering the African American Past for the Purposes of the Policy Present: The History and Evolution of Africana Cultures and Policy Studies
Keywords:
Africana studies, policy, culture, inequality, interdisciplinarityAbstract
This article analyzes the development and significance of Africana Cultures and Policy Studies (ACPS), an interdisciplinary field that applies the scholarship of black intellectual history to create policy solutions for Africana communities worldwide. The author contends that ACPS represents a revolutionary approach by linking historical research with contemporary policy frameworks. This study examines the contributions of notable black public intellectuals, such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Carter Woodson, who laid the groundwork for this emerging discipline. The paper explores how ACPS incorporates cultural theories and historical analyses to address issues impacting the black community, using James Scott’s notion of 'infrapolitics' and Manning Marable’s concept of 'living black history.' The article demonstrates that ACPS underscores a direct linkage between intellectual production and policy praxis on local, national, and international levels. By highlighting the work of the Africana Cultures and Policy Studies Institute, this work investigates how historical research can inform and improve conditions for Africana communities globally.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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