Mistaking Africa

Synopsis

For Many Americans The Mention Of Africa Immediately Conjures Up Images Of Safaris, Ferocious Animals, Strangely Dressed Tribesmen, And Impenetrable Jungles. Although The Occasional Newspaper Headline Mentions Genocide, Aids, Malaria, Or Civil War In Africa, The Collective American Consciousness Still Carries Strong Mental Image Of Africa That Are Reflected In Advertising, Movies, Amusement Parks, Cartoons, And Many Other Corners Of Society. Few Think To Question These Perceptions Or How They Came To Be So Deeply Lodged In American Minds. This Book, Looks At The Historical Evolution Of This Mind-set And Examines The Role That Popular Media Plays In Its Creation. Keim Addresses The Most Prevalent Myths And Preconceptions And Demonstrates How These Prevent A True Understanding Of The Enormously Diverse Peoples And Cultures Of Africa. Changing Our Mind About Africa -- How We Learn -- The Origins Of Darkest Africa -- Our Living Ancestors : Evolutionism And Race Across The Centuries -- Where Is The Real Africa? -- We Should Help Them -- Cannibalism : No Accounting For Taste -- Africans Live In Tribes, Don't They? -- Safari : Beyond Our Wildest Dreams -- Africa In Images -- Changing Views -- From Imagination To Dialogue. Curtis Keim, Moravian College, Carolyn Somerville, Hunter College. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 205-222) And Index.