Maulana Karenga

Academic specialties/ Area of interest:

Books

Kawaida and Questions of Life and Struggle, 2008 (Best Book in Activist Scholarship 2009—The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics, 2006; 2004 (Best Book 2004—The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
Handbook of Black Studies, co-edited with Molefi Asante, 2005
Introduction to Black Studies, 3rd Edition, 2002
Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings, 1999
Kawaida: A Communitarian African Philosophy, 1997
The Million Man March / Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology, co-edited with Haki Madhubuti, 1996
Selections From the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, 1984

Book Chapters

“Molefi Asante and the Afrocentric Initiative: Mapping the Terrain of His Intellectual Impact”, in Ama Mazama (ed.), Essays in Honor of an Intellectual Warrior: Molefi Kete Asante, Paris: Menaibuc, 2009, pp. 17-49
“The Nguzo Saba and the Black Family: Principles and Practices of Well-Being and Flourishing,” Maulana Karenga and Tiamoyo Karenga, co-authors, in Harriet Pipes McAdoo, (ed.), Black Families, 4th Ed, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007, pp. 7-28.
“The Field, Function and Future of Africana Studies: Critical Reflections on Its Mission, Meaning and Methodology,” in Molefi Asante and Maulana Karenga, (eds.), Handbook of Black Studies, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006, pp. 402-420
“Philosophy in the African Tradition of Resistance: Issues of Human Freedom and Human Flourishing”, in Louis R. Gordon and Jane Anna Gordon, (eds.), Not Only the Master’s Tools: African American Studies in Theory and Practice, Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2006, pp. 243-271
“Nommo, Kawaida and Communicative Practice: Bringing Good into the World,” in Understanding African American Rhetoric: Classical Origins to Contemporary Innovations, (eds.) Ronald L. Jackson II and Elaine B. Richardson, New York: Routledge, 2003, pp. 3-22
“Black Studies: A Critical Reassessment,” Dispatches from the Ebony Tower: Intellectuals Confront the African American Experience, Manning Marable, (ed.), New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, pp. 162-170

Journal Articles

“Names and Notions of Black Studies: Issues of Roots, Range and Relevance”, Journal of Black Studies, 40, 1 (2009), 41-64
“Maatian Discourse and Human Rights: Ancient Egyptian Textual Sources”, Africalogical Perspectives, 5, 1 (2008), 107-124
“The Moral Anthropology of Marcus Garvey: In the Fullness of Ourselves”, Journal of Black Studies, 39, 2 (2008), 166-193
“DuBois and the Question of the Color Line: Race and Class in the Age of Globalization,” Socialism and Democracy, 17, 1 (Winter-Spring, 2003), 141-160
“The Pan-African Initiative in the Americas: Culture, Common Struggle and the Odu Ifa,” National Political Science Review, 9, (2003), 156-172

Ph.D. in Social Ethics (emphasis in classical African ethics of ancient Egypt ), University of Southern California, 1994
Ph.D. in Political Science (emphasis in theory and practice of nationalism), United States International University, San Diego, 1976
B.A. and M.A. in Political Science (specialization in African Studies), University of California at Los Angeles, 1963, 1964.

Professional Affiliations

Community Affiliations

The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Ankh Scientific Institute, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
National Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
President’s Award for Scholarship and Service in the Development of Black Studies, African Heritage Studies Association
Paul Robeson-Zora Neale Hurston Award for Scholarly Work Significantly Contributive to the Understanding, Development and Appreciation of African World Culture, National Council for Black Studies
Legacy Award for Milestone Contributions, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
Diop Exemplary Leadership Award, Department of African American Studies, Temple University
Peace Education Award for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship and Education in Building Bridges Among Africans Throughout the World, Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, California State University—Sacramento
Richard Allen Living Legend Award, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Pioneer Award, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund

Creator of the African American and pan-African holiday Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, community and culture, 1966
Author of the authoritative work on Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, 1998