The Falsification of African Consciousness - Kemetrise.org
The Falsification of African Consciousness - Kemetrise.org
The Falsification of African Consciousness - Kemetrise.org
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Falsification</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong> <strong>Consciousness</strong><br />
Dr. Amos Wilson<br />
Know Thyself Study Group<br />
www.kemetrise.<strong>org</strong>
Who Was This Man?<br />
IMO, Dr. Amos Wilson was the greatest psychologist<br />
<strong>of</strong> all time<br />
Born in 1941, Hattiesburg, Mississippi<br />
Died in 1995, New York City<br />
Educated at Morehouse College and Fordham<br />
University (Ph.D. in Psychology)<br />
Social Worker, Probation Officer, Trainer, Counselor,<br />
and Pr<strong>of</strong>essor at CUNY<br />
Applied Fields: Developmental Psychology, Child<br />
Psychology
What Were His Goals?<br />
To contribute to our knowledge <strong>of</strong> self by studying<br />
two aspects <strong>of</strong> our psychology: (1) our levels <strong>of</strong><br />
consciousness and (2) the connection between our<br />
psychological development and our progress as a<br />
people<br />
To provide information on our psychological history<br />
To analyze the ways in which we can re-structure<br />
our psychology in order to change our political, social,<br />
and economic circumstances
Our <strong>Consciousness</strong><br />
An Introduction
What Is <strong>Consciousness</strong>?<br />
<strong>Consciousness</strong> is a type <strong>of</strong> power<br />
We use consciousness to solve problems through our<br />
will<br />
Our level <strong>of</strong> consciousness determines our behaviors<br />
<strong>Consciousness</strong> is affected by social interactions<br />
<strong>African</strong> consciousness has been tremendously<br />
affected by our relationship with white people<br />
Contains 3 elements
Three Elements <strong>of</strong> <strong>Consciousness</strong>:<br />
1. Contents<br />
2. Instrumentalities<br />
3. Directional Organization<br />
Contents: Beliefs, Opinions, Knowledge, Perceived<br />
Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, Worldview,<br />
Conditioned Responses<br />
Instrumentalities: <strong>The</strong> way we use the contents <strong>of</strong> our<br />
mind<br />
Directional Organization: How we show our<br />
consciousness through the goals we pursue, the<br />
values we hold, and the reasons behind our<br />
thoughts
How Has White Supremacy Falsified<br />
Our <strong>Consciousness</strong>?:<br />
1. By giving us false contents: a false history, false<br />
knowledge, false fantasies<br />
2. By impairing our ability to think: We have become<br />
confused about what knowledge is, who it belongs<br />
to, and how it should be used<br />
3. By Falsifying our Values: Causing us to value the<br />
wrong things, desire the wrong things, pursue the<br />
wrong things—things that are contrary to our wellbeing<br />
and our interests as a people
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Falsification</strong> <strong>of</strong> Afrikan <strong>Consciousness</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Book
What Is <strong>The</strong> Purpose <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Book?<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> book was written to satisfy many requests to<br />
make the information in his lectures available in<br />
print format<br />
2. <strong>The</strong> book draws on 2 lectures: (1) European<br />
Historiography and Oppression Exposed and<br />
(2) European Political Dogmatism<br />
2. In both <strong>of</strong> these lectures, Dr. Wilson talks about<br />
how history has shaped our psychological make-up,<br />
has caused us to be in a perpetual state <strong>of</strong> amnesia<br />
about who we are and what we should be doing
How Is the Book Organized?<br />
<strong>The</strong> book is <strong>org</strong>anized into 3 parts:<br />
Part 1:<br />
European Historiography and Oppression Exposed<br />
This part <strong>of</strong> the book discusses the relationship<br />
between history and psychology. Specifically, he<br />
focuses on the aspect <strong>of</strong> oppression that has lead<br />
to cultural amnesia, a loss <strong>of</strong> power, and economic<br />
inequality
How Is the Book Organized?<br />
<strong>The</strong> book is <strong>org</strong>anized into 3 parts:<br />
Part 2:<br />
Eurocentric Political Dogmatism<br />
This part <strong>of</strong> the book discusses how our mental health<br />
has been affected by our political circumstances.<br />
He ties in important concepts such as<br />
individualism, sanity versus insanity, repression,<br />
and self-transformation
How Is the Book Organized?<br />
<strong>The</strong> book is <strong>org</strong>anized into 3 parts:<br />
Part 3:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Political Psychology <strong>of</strong> Black <strong>Consciousness</strong><br />
This part <strong>of</strong> the book discusses how we have been<br />
taught to “normalize” ideas that are not ours but<br />
also how white psychology ideas have mis-labeled<br />
us as deviant and abnormal. This is all part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
plan to falsify our consciousness
What Should We Get From This Book?<br />
For the most part, this will depend on what you’re<br />
bringing to it. But, we should at least be able to<br />
understand these things:<br />
How the system <strong>of</strong> white supremacy has affected<br />
and continues to affect our minds<br />
<strong>The</strong> process that was used to create a<br />
psychological nightmare for <strong>African</strong> people. We<br />
should see some parallels to Na’im Akbar’s concept<br />
<strong>of</strong> “alien identity”.<br />
What factors we must consider as we re-structure<br />
our minds, our thinking, and our values so that we<br />
can improve our condition.
A Final Note:<br />
This is not necessarily a book geared toward<br />
solutions. For that, you’ll have to take a look at<br />
some <strong>of</strong> his other works (mainly Blueprint For<br />
Black Power). Instead, this book <strong>of</strong>fers an<br />
explanation and analysis <strong>of</strong> psychological condition<br />
so that we can better understand where we are at<br />
this point.