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On March 24, Dr. John Thornton graced Villanova with his presence as he delivered a lecture titled “African Historical Events and African American History: A Search for Connections.” The lecture was focused on the relationship between modern culture and the African continent as well as the study of Africa itself.

Thornton's primary field is the history of pre-colonial Atlantic Africa, especially the 16th to 19th centuries. He also has a strong interest in the spread of Africans and African cultures to the Americas. Touching on this subject he attempted to show the connections between the current African-American culture and its antecedents, and in the process help those attending to reshape their understanding of Africa and it’s relation to our world.

“There is a difference between social history and cultural history,” said Thornton. “Too often African-American behaviors are looked at and matched against their so-called African origins.” He used the example of the comparison of hip-hop music to tribal drumming in Senegalese culture. According to Thornton, it is wrong to make these kinds of connections because this attempt to make cultural historical connections ignores the importance of looking at African history as the development of people and institutions over time.

By looking at African history in the latter of these perspectives, a lot of very important connections can be made, and a lot of insight can be gained into the actual origin and state of being for Africans that found themselves in America. Many of the Africans delivered into slavery during a certain time period came from the same racial and ethnic backgrounds because of the political climate at the time which included warfare among tribes and the subsequent social institutions developed after the wars. Using resources as simple as the ethnonymns (ethnic names) of the people sold into slavery, substantial information could be derived as to their backgrounds.

Dr. Thornton also explored more esoteric ideas such as the “one-drop rule” and the idea that it is “better to be anything beside black.” These ideas were in reference to the fact that many prominent and wealthy families in early America resulted in interracial marriages. “Many families kept their genealogy secret through generations in order to maintain their hold on various privileges.” Some feared that if anyone discovered their black slave ancestry, they would be stripped of their right to vote and own land.

Through his research, Thornton seeks to give African history a place in the “larger picture” before elaborating on the seeming “smaller picture” that is his discipline because then it will become “more relevant to everyone involved.”