KSU Professor Jesse Benjamin Contributes to UNESCO Encyclopedia of the History of Africa

KENNESAW, Ga. (Apr 9, 2020) — “I moved to Brooklyn when I was 13 years old,” said Jesse Benjamin, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and International Conflict Management. “There I encountered a lot of racism and injustice.” This experience spurred his interest in working on these problems and led to research into racism and injustice that started in college and has continued as a faculty member at KSU.

Because of this extensive research background and his expertise in the history of Africa and what it means to be black, he was recently asked by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to be one of a select group of international researchers and artists who contribute to an addition to the General History of Africa, an encyclopedia of African history.

According to Benjamin, the General History of Africa is important because much of the history of Africa has been ignored or erased to justify the practice of European countries occupying these lands and politically controlling and economically exploiting them. The independent history in the General History of Africa helps people in Africa to have pride in and reclaim their history.

The first volumes took 35 years and the help of historians and other specialists from Africa and around the world to complete. However, since the publication of the last volume in 1999, much has happened in the history of Africa, and these new volumes will cover the latest social, political and archaeological developments.

Benjamin’s chapter in the General History of Africa, “North Africa and the Origins of Epistemic Blackness,” discusses when and how the concept of blackness came to be. According to Benjamin, over 500 years ago the concept of blackness versus whiteness did not exist. In Europe, people of African descent were celebrated as smart and knowledgeable, and families often sent their children to learn at the great universities and libraries of African cities like Timbuktu.

Then, during the inquisition, the Christian city states began forcibly kicking out all Moors, Muslims, Jews and other categories of people they considered to be agents of Satan. During this time, the developing concept of “Self versus Other” led to the development of black versus white. With the establishment of the concept of Others as less human, it was easier to justify the occupation and exploitation of African countries and the taking of Africans as slaves.

Benjamin says that when he teaches on this subject, he enjoys seeing knowledge transform the consciousness of his students. He knows how important it can be to the descents of African people who have been treated unfairly and who are still being impacted today.

Benjamin believes that we are currently seeing a major change in the concept of blackness. “Movements like independence from colonialism and civil rights are allowing blackness to be reappropriated on a massive scale,” he said. “Racist language took away the humanness of black people, but now it is getting reclaimed as something good. The love of blackness is everywhere, if you know where to look.”

The new volumes of the General History of Africa are due to be released this summer.  Benjamin will be attending a celebration of the release of the new volumes at the Museum of Black Civilization in Dakar in December.