Associate Professor and Graduate Director
816 Gladfelter Hall
1115 W. Polett Walk
Afrocentric paradigm, African religion, African American culture, Caribbean culture and literature, African American education, curricula infusion of African content, language and power
Ama Mazama (aka Marie-Josée Cérol) is Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Programs of the Department of Africa American Studies at Temple University. She received her PhD with highest distinction from La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris III. After graduating from La Sorbonne with Highest Distinction in Linguistics for her doctorarte, Professor Ama Mazama taught at the University of Texas, Pennsylvania State University, before arriving at Temple University in l993. She established a reputation as the principal exponent of the African origin of the Guadeloupian language. In two books, Langue et Identité en Guadeloupe: Une Perspective Afrocentrique and Une Introduction au Créole Guadeloupéen.
She is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Black Studies. Her publications appear in journals in three continents. Well known as an educational consultant for the infusion of African content in American schools Mazama has written several books for teachers in addition to her major scholarly works in Afrocentric philosophy and theory. Two co-edited encyclopedias, the Encyclopedia of Black Studies and the Encyclopedia of African Religion, earned praise for their pioneering work from the National Council of Black Studies. Her scholarly works critique domination and hegemonic philosophies, reveal the cultural, linguistic, and religious bases of Caribbean culture, especially Vodu, and examine cultural and critical methods of establishing an ethic of justice and equity.
Mazama, Ama, Une Introduction au Créole Guadeloupéen, with an introduction by Professor Claude Hagège, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe: Jasor. 1991.
Mazama, Ama, Langue et Identité en Guadeloupe: Une Perspective Afrocentrique, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe: Jasor. 1997.
Mazama, Ama, Editor of Special Edition of the Journal of Black Studies, Proceedings of the 14th Cheikh Anta Diop. 2002.
Asante, M. & Ama Mazama (eds). Egypt vs Greece in the Academe, Chicago, Il.: African American Images. 2001.
Mazama, Ama (ed.), The Afrocentric Paradigm, Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press. 2003.
Mazama, Ama. L’Impératif Afrocentrique. Paris: Editions Ménaibuc. 2003.
Asante M. & Ama Mazama, General Editors, Encyclopedia of Black Studies, Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications. 2005.
Mazama, Ama. Kwanzaa ou la Célébration du Génie Africain, Paris: Editions Ménaibuc. 2006.
Mazama, Ama (ed.). Africa in the Twenty-First Century: Toward a New Future. New York: Routledge. 2007.
Mazama, Ama, Editor of Special Edition of the Journal of Black Studies, “The Barack Obama Phenomenon.” September 2007.
Mazama, Ama (ed.). Essays in Honor of an Intellectual Warrior, Molefi Kete Asante. Paris: Editions Ménaibuc. 2009.
Asante, M. & Ama Mazama, General Editors, Encyclopedia of African Religion, 2 Volumes, Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage. 2009.
Asante, M. & Mazama, Ama, Afrocentric Infusion for Urban Schools: Fundamental Knowledge for Teachers. Ankh: Philadelphia. 2010.
Mazama, Ama. Religion et Renaissance Africaine. Philadelphie: Mambo Presses. 2010.
Mazama, Ama & M. Asante (eds). Barack Obama: Political Frontiers and Racial Agency Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. 2011.
Mazama, Ama & G. Musumunu. Begging to Differ: Why African American Parents Homeschool. Under Review.
Mazama, Ama. The Dilemma of Black Studies. In progress.
Translations into French
Asante, Molefi, L’Afrocentricité. Paris:Editions Ménaibuc. Translated by Ama Mazama. 2005.
Garvey, Marcus, Cours de Philosophie Africaine. Message au Peuple. Paris: Editions Ménaibuc. Translated by Ama Mazama, 2010.
Articles and Chapters
Afrocendridade, um paradigma novo, in Afrocendridade, uma abordagem epistemological inovadora- Colecao Sankofa, Vol. 4, Elisa Larkin Nascimento (ed), Sao Paolo, Brazil: Selo Negro Edicoes. 2009.
Graduate Programs in African American Studies, in Handbook of Black Studies, Molefi Asante & Maulana Karenga (eds), Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications. 2005.
Disciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity, or Cross-Disciplinarity: Africana Studies and the Vexing Issue of Definition, in Handbook of Black Studies, Molefi Asante & Maulana Karenga (eds), Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications. 2005.
The Irruption of Creole in Maryse Condé’s Romans Antillais: Subverting the Neo-Colonial Order? Special Issue of Romanic Review, K. Glover, Guest Editor, Columbia University Press. 2004.
Graduate Studies in African Studies, African Studies in the 21st Century, Jacob Gordon (ed.). New York: Nova. 2004.
Afrocentricity and African Spirituality, Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 33, No. 2, November, 2002.
Language and Afrocentricity, Transcultural Realities: International Perspectives on Cross Cultural Relations, Virginia Milhouse & Molefi Asante (eds), Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage. 2001.
The Afrocentric Paradigm: Contours and Definitions, Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 31, No. 4, Mar., 2001 2001.
Of the Dangers of Paradigmatic Imitation, Encore.Fall, 2001.
The Nature of Linguistic Contacts in Guadeloupe: Historical and Sociological Evidence, Caribbean Linguistics Studies II, Lawrence Carrington et al. (eds), Port of Spain, Trinidad: University of the West Indies Press. 1999.
The Eurocentric Discourse on Writing: An Exercise in Self-Glorification, Journal of Black Studies. Volume 29 (1): 3 September, 1998.
The Relevance of Ngugi wa Thiong’o for the Afrocentric Quest, Western Journal of Black Studies. 1995.
An Afrocentric Approach to Language Planning, Journal of Black Studies. 1994.
Une Lecture Afrocentrique Critique de l’Eloge de la Créolité, Penser la Créolité, Maryse Condé & Madeleine Cottenet-Hage (eds), Paris: Karthala. 1994.
Language, Liberation and Oppression. Pan-African Perspectives, Francois Muyumba (ed.), Terre Haute: Indiana State University Press. 1993.
A Propos de la Planification du Créole Guadeloupéen, Language Reform, Itsvan Fodor & Claude Hagège (eds), Hamburg: Buske-Verlag.1993.
What History tells us about the development of Creole in Guadeloupe, New West Indian Guide, The Royal Dutch Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 1992.
Les enjeux d’une litterature écrite en Créole guadeloupéen, L’Héritage de Caliban, Maryse Condé (éd.), Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe: Jasor. 1992.
- African Religion
- African American Social and Political Thought
- Caribbean Culture
- Afrocentric Theory