The African Unconscious

Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology

by Edward Bruce Bynum

NOTE FROM THE SERIES EDITOR

Scholars agree that humanity originated in Africa.  However, Western society tends to believe that civilization "really" began with the Greeks, with small footnotes granted to Egypt and other Mediterranean cultures.  The idea of civilization beginning in Africa is a challenging one for the Western mind indoctrinated by centuries of Eurocentric thought and education.

Bruce Bynum's book will be controversial.  I am well aware that many disagree with the validity of the Afrocentric paradigm.  This book extends the framework to a new level.  Our "shared sea of consciousness" is not an easy construct to accept in an empirically driven logical positivist world.  Intergenerational transmission of thoughts and ideas and the collective unconscious are not central to pragmatic ideology.  Bynum provides a challenging and formidable narrative.

Copyright © 1999 by Teachers College, Columbia University

ISBN 0-8077-3774-7 (paper)

ISBN 0-8077-3775-5 (cloth)

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