David Peterson Del Mar | Africa in American Mind

Beyond Footnotes

In this episode we interview PSU professor of history, Peterson David Del Mar. We discuss his upcoming book, African, American: From Tarzan to Dreams from My Father – Africa in the U.S. Imagination, which delves into the perceptions of Africa by white and black Americans. As Del Mar puts it, “Going to Africa has always been a metaphor for Americans, an epic quest to strange lands that inevitably circles back to ourselves.” We explore the argument that the viewpoint of Americans towards Africa is often formed by their own ideals and can lead to misinterpretations of African people. We also see how past relationships influence presence perceptions.