Temple Circle

Afrocentric Categorization of Social Practice

In an attempt to establish categories for analysis, the Temple Circle argued that there were four classes of social practice in the historical relationship between those who held social and economic power and those who sought to free themselves from a position of powerlessness. They called these categories the “Afrocentric Categorization of Social Practice,” which then became a basis for the scientific interpretation of African behavior in the face of white racial domination. Seeking to reduce the level of analytical noise that existed in social relations, the Temple Circle suggested that the use of these categories would strengthen the conceptualization of the field of African American Studies. The four categories of social practice divide individuals into capitulationists, integrationists, separatists, and Afrocentrists.

According to the Temple Circle, capitulationists are those who willingly give up their claims to cultural, psychological, economic, and/or historical agency to a hostile culture for an illusionary gain. Their aim is to [Page 446]agree to the dominant society's perception that their culture is inferior and that there is no value to it. In effect, capitulationists are saying, “We can easily give this up and go either way. One day we can be black, the next day we can be white.” Integrationists are those who seek to combine their social and political cultures with a dominant society to create an atmosphere for acceptance by the dominant society. Their aim is to allay any fears that they are threatening the established dominant society's right to dominate. Integrationists are saying, “We are the same, just different colors. We support your actions because we believe in your principles.” Separatists are those who seek to isolate themselves politically, culturally, and economically from the dominant society to establish their own society. Their aim is to have no meaningful interaction with the dominant, often hostile, society. In effect, separatists are saying, “They do not have anything that we need. Involvement with them is a sure way of destruction for us.” Afrocentrists are those who accept their own agency as a way of interacting with the world and are unwilling to relinquish their agency to the dominant, hostile society at any price. Their aim is to interact with others on the basis of mutual respect and equality. Afrocentrists are saying, “We are perfectly alright as we are, thank you. What can we do for you?”

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