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Abstract

Anna Julia Cooper provides an important, though often overlooked, Africana intellectual history and philosophy in the field of Africana Studies generally and Black women’s history particularly. Many of the studies on Anna Julia Cooper’s life and philosophy have been done outside of the discipline of Africology, and as a result, her work has primarily been placed in the feminist and literary studies field. While it can be stated that her speeches and writings have greatly contributed to the growth of these philosophies, Cooper’s most fundamental and least recognized intellectual contribution is to the establishment and advancement of the Afrocentric discourse. There is an urgent need to recover and reclaim Anna Julia Cooper, her foremothers, and contemporaries who have not been thoroughly discussed within Africana studies as agents of cultural change in their communities and at large. In this article, Cooper’s intellectual thought is situated at the center and examined for its significance to the discourse and development of Africana studies.

Keywords

Anna Julia Cooper Africana womanist race woman Afrocentric theory womanist Black women’s history

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References

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When and Where I Enter

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