AP African American Studies: Unit 1 - Origins of the African Diaspora

African American Studies

An interdisciplinary field that examines the history, culture, politics, and economics of people of African descent in the United States and the broader African diaspora.

Interdisciplinary

A characteristic of African American Studies that combines methods from various fields such as history, literature, sociology, political science, and the arts.

Community-Centered

A focus of African American Studies that bridges the gap between scholarly inquiry and community empowerment.

Paleoanthropology

A field of study confirming Africa as the cradle of human existence.

Hominid Evolution

The process during which early hominids appeared in the African savanna 5-10 million years ago.

Mitochondrial Eve

Genetic evidence suggests that all living humans descend from a woman who lived in Africa roughly 200,000 years ago.

Black Campus Movement

The period (1965-1972) when the formalization of African American Studies as an academic discipline occurred, influenced by Black student protests.

Soninke people

Ethnic group that mastered iron weapons and dominated neighbors during the Empire of Ghana.

Mansa Musa

The wealthiest individual in history, ruled the Empire of Mali from 1312 to 1337.

Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

Three significant empires in West Africa that profited from trans-Saharan trade.

Mediterranean Climate Zone

A northern and southern tip of Africa characterized by mild, fertile conditions that supported agriculture.

Desert Climate Zone

Includes the Sahara and Kalahari; characterized by dry, extreme heat affecting trade routes.

Sahel

A semiarid transitional zone south of the Sahara, a central area for livestock trading.

Savanna

Grasslands in central and southern Africa that supported grain cultivation and large animal herds.

Rainforest

A humid zone in West and Central Africa, limited cattle spread due to the tsetse fly.

Timbuktu

A major city in the Mali and Songhai empires known as a global hub of Islamic scholarship.

Griot

Hereditary historians and musicians in West African societies serving as living libraries.

Matrilineal Societies

Societies where descent and inheritance are traced through the mother’s line.

Queen Idia of Benin

The first Iyoba of the Benin Kingdom, a skilled politician and warrior.

Queen Njinga

A 17th-century ruler in Angola known for her resistance against the Portuguese.

The Kingdom of Kongo

A centralized state located near the Congo River, influential during the 1480s.

The Spread of Islam

Islam arrived in Africa via trans-Saharan trade and was adapted by elites in the Sahel.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious beliefs, often observed in African religious practices.

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful kingdom in Southern Africa known for its stone architecture and wealth from trade.

The Swahili Coast

City-states along the East African coast that developed a unique blend of Bantu and Arab/Persian culture.

Bantu Expansion

A massive migration of Bantu-speaking peoples across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa between 1500 BCE and 500 CE.

Iron Metallurgy

The development of iron tools that facilitated efficient farming during the Bantu expansion.

Ghana Empire

An empire known as the 'Land of Gold' that thrived on the gold-salt trade.

Mali Empire

Founded by Sundiata Keita, known for its wealth and cultural developments.

Songhai Empire

The largest of the three Sahelian empires that expanded under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad.

The Aksumite Empire

An ancient trade hub in modern-day Ethiopia that adopted Christianity as its official religion.

Nok Society

Located in Nigeria, this society was known for early iron technology and terracotta sculpture.

Manikongo Nzinga a Nkuwu

The Kongo king who converted to Catholicism in 1491 to strengthen ties with Portugal.

Afonso I

King of Kongo who made Catholicism the state religion and protested the slave trade.

Cabo Verde and São Tomé

Atlantic islands where the plantation model was first tested before it spread to the Americas.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery that reduced humans to permanent property without rights, contrasting with African forms of slavery.

Afrocentric Bias

The perspective that emphasizes the importance of African historical contributions beyond stereotypes of primitivism.

Eurocentric Myths

Common misconceptions propagated by Western scholars about Africa as a 'primitive' continent.

African Diaspora

The dispersal of people of African descent worldwide, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries.

Oral Tradition

The primary means of preserving history in many African societies, focused on storytelling and remembrance.

Djeli

Another term for 'griot', referring to the hereditary historian and advisor in West African cultures.

Animism

A belief system involving interaction with lesser deities and spirits connected to nature.

Urbanized Societies of Yoruba

Exemplified by cultures like Oyo and Ife, known for spirituality and gentility.