Yosef ben Jochannan, R. I. P.

Composed and posted on April 1, 2015

I read the obituary for Yosef ben Jochannan last night.  It calls him a Father of African Studies while at the same time undermining his credibility as a historian.   I wonder if any one out there knew Yosef ben Jochannan and can speak to his legacy.  Also, the questions I pose to everyone are: "If it is true that Yosef ben Jochannan exaggerated some historical facts, does it matter?"  and "Which is the greater sin exaggerating some historical facts for an Afrocentric perspective or omitting whole sections of historical facts that do not fit into a Eurocentric perspective?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/nyregion/contested-legacy-of-dr-ben-a-father-of-african-studies.html?_r=0

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins