What is culture?
Manning Marable states
“culture is the textured pattern of collective memory, the critical
consciousness and aspirations of a people”
What is identity?
How are they related?
Why are we studying
African American culture and identity separate from “American culture”?
How is the experience of
African Americans similar and different from experiences of immigrants?
Differences between African American culture/identity and
experiences of immigrants?
|
Africans in |
American Immigrants |
|
1. Captured and Brought to |
1. Choose to Immigrate |
|
2.
Experienced economic exploitation
(slavery, post- slavery
period, color prevented equal access to economic opportunity) |
2.
Experienced economic exploitation. Used
group solidarity
to strengthen economic
position in society |
|
3. Denied
civil rights (1965) although
they received all civil rights by
1870 |
3.Used group solidarity for
political advantage |
|
4.Experienced social prejudice and legal
barriers Segregation- Plessy
v |
4. Experienced prejudice once they reached the experience
legal barriers (some exceptions
in Asian and Latino
populations |
|
5.Racism dominated-Concept
that African Americans are
inferior |
5. Prejudices
Example: Anti- Semitism,
Muslim population |
|
6. Subjected to internal terrorism |
6. Subjected to maltreatment |
|
7. No political power, no legal
rights |
7. Gradual Political power.
Citizenship rights meant full civil/legal rights. |
|
8. Development of culture based on African
roots- culture rejected by larger
society |
8. Development
of culture based on
European roots or based upon
culture of their
homeland/connection with homeland |
|
9. Culture developed separately |
9. Became
assimilated |
|
10. Identity w/homeland is
abstract, ambiguous and for the most part
rejected. |
10. Strong identity with homeland and culture. Strong
identity with
adopted culture |
What is identity?
Who am I?
What determines identity?
How has the identity of African Americans been
compromised?