Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind, Second Edition

249 Pages·2008·1.71 MB·English

by  Curtis A Keim

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MISTAKING AFRICA
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M I S TA K I N G A F R I CA
Curiosities and Inventions
of the American Mind
SECOND EDITION
Curtis Keim
MORAVIAN COLLEGE
A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP
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Copyright © 2009 by Westview Press
Published by Westview Press,
A Member ofthe Perseus Books Group
Every effort has been made to secure required permissions to use all
images,maps,and other art included in this volume.
All rights reserved.Printed in the United States ofAmerica.No part of
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Designed by Timm Bryson
Set in 11 point Adobe Jensen by the Perseus Books Group
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Keim,Curtis A.
Mistaking Africa :curiosities and inventions ofthe American mind /
Curtis Keim.—2nd ed.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8133-4386-0 (pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Africa—Foreign
public opinion,American.2.Public opinion—United States.I.Title.
DT38.7.K45 2009
960—dc22
2008003973
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Karen
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Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
1 Changing Our Mind About Africa 3
Speaking “African,”4
The Use and Misuse ofStereotypes,6
Stereotypes over Time,11
A Word About Words,12
2 How We Learn 15
Television Culture,16
The Print Media,18
Movies,23
Amusement Parks,25
Celebrities,28
Other Sources,29
vii
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viii Contents
PART TWO
EVOLUTIONISM
3 The Origins of “Darkest Africa” 35
Africans in Antiquity,36
Western Views ofAfricans,ca.1400–1830,38
Birth ofthe Dark Continent,40
A Myth for Conquest,44
4 “Our Living Ancestors”:
Twentieth-Century Evolutionism 49
Biological Evolutionism,50
Evolutionism,51
The Primitive African,53
Changing Paradigms,56
Lingering Evolutionism,61
5 Real Africa,Wise Africa 63
African Cultures,64
Art and Artifact,66
Touring Africa,69
Selling Sex,73
Africans in the States,74
An African American Example,77
The Noble African,79
6 We Should Help Them 83
Authoritarian Help,85
Market Help,86
Conversion Help,88
Gift-Giving Help,90
Participatory Help,93
Military Help,95
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Contents ix
The Failure ofHelp,96
Rethinking Development,98
Helping Out,100
PART THREE
FURTHER MISPERCEPTIONS
7 Cannibalism:
No Accounting for Taste 105
8 Africans Live in Tribes,Don’t They? 113
A Textbook Definition,114
A Word with a History,115
The End ofthe Tribe,117
Contemporary African Uses ofTribe,118
Other Tribes,120
African Tribes in America,121
Alternatives to Tribe,124
9 Safari:Beyond Our Wildest Dreams 129
Where the Wild Things Aren’t,130
The Good Old Days,131
The Decline ofthe Great White Hunting Safari,136
The Tourist Safari:Animals in Pictures,138
The Safari from a Distance,140
The Lion Is King,142
Hunting Africa,144
10 Africa in Images 147
Black,White,and Red All Over,148
Africa’s Got Chemistry,151
One Challenge per Continent,Please,151
Our Living Ancestors,153