Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism
The article deals with the issue of African American identity in the post-segregation period (after 1968). The problem of African Americans’ “double consciousness”, marked for the first time yet in the late 19th – early 20th century, still remains relevant. It is that descendants of slaves, who...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/327 |
| _version_ | 1797647054741176320 |
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| author | D. M. BONDARENKO N. E. KHOKHOLKOVA |
| author_facet | D. M. BONDARENKO N. E. KHOKHOLKOVA |
| author_sort | D. M. BONDARENKO |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article deals with the issue of African American identity in the post-segregation period (after 1968). The problem of African Americans’ “double consciousness”, marked for the first time yet in the late 19th – early 20th century, still remains relevant. It is that descendants of slaves, who over the centuries have been relegated to the periphery of the American society, have been experiencing and in part are experiencing an internal conflict, caused by the presence of both American and African components in their identities. The authors focus on Afrocentrism (Afrocentricity) – a socio-cultural theory, proposed by Molefi Kete Asante in 1980 as a strategy to overcome this conflict and to construct a particular form of “African” collective identity of African Americans. This theory, based on the idea of Africa and all people of African descent’s centrality in world history and culture, was urged to completely decolonize and transform African Americans’ consciousness. The Afrocentrists proposed African Americans to re- Africanize their self-consciousness, turn to African cultural roots in order to get rid of a heritable inferiority complex formed by slavery and segregation. This article presents a brief outline of the history of Afrocentrism, its intellectual sources and essential structural elements, particularly Africology. The authors analyze the concepts of racial identity, “black consciousness” and “black unity” in the contexts of the Afrocentric theory and current social realities of the African American community. Special attention is paid to the methodology and practice of Afrocentric education. In Conclusion, the authors evaluate the role and prospects of Afrocentrism among African Americans in the context of general trends of their identities transformations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:10:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6308e12347ec4d939477b2fea7a29cf3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2542-0240 2587-9324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:10:48Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право |
| spelling | doaj.art-6308e12347ec4d939477b2fea7a29cf32023-10-29T15:55:26ZengАссоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право2542-02402587-93242018-08-01112304510.23932/2542-0240-2018-11-2-30-45318Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of AfrocentrismD. M. BONDARENKO0N. E. KHOKHOLKOVA1Russian Academy of Sciences Research of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences National Research University Higher School of Economics Russian State University for the HumanitiesInstitute for State, Municipal and Corporate Management of P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University Russian State University for the HumanitiesThe article deals with the issue of African American identity in the post-segregation period (after 1968). The problem of African Americans’ “double consciousness”, marked for the first time yet in the late 19th – early 20th century, still remains relevant. It is that descendants of slaves, who over the centuries have been relegated to the periphery of the American society, have been experiencing and in part are experiencing an internal conflict, caused by the presence of both American and African components in their identities. The authors focus on Afrocentrism (Afrocentricity) – a socio-cultural theory, proposed by Molefi Kete Asante in 1980 as a strategy to overcome this conflict and to construct a particular form of “African” collective identity of African Americans. This theory, based on the idea of Africa and all people of African descent’s centrality in world history and culture, was urged to completely decolonize and transform African Americans’ consciousness. The Afrocentrists proposed African Americans to re- Africanize their self-consciousness, turn to African cultural roots in order to get rid of a heritable inferiority complex formed by slavery and segregation. This article presents a brief outline of the history of Afrocentrism, its intellectual sources and essential structural elements, particularly Africology. The authors analyze the concepts of racial identity, “black consciousness” and “black unity” in the contexts of the Afrocentric theory and current social realities of the African American community. Special attention is paid to the methodology and practice of Afrocentric education. In Conclusion, the authors evaluate the role and prospects of Afrocentrism among African Americans in the context of general trends of their identities transformations.https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/327usaafricaafrican americansidentityafrocentrismafricologypan-black cultural nationalism |
| spellingShingle | D. M. BONDARENKO N. E. KHOKHOLKOVA Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право usa africa african americans identity afrocentrism africology pan-black cultural nationalism |
| title | Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism |
| title_full | Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism |
| title_fullStr | Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism |
| title_short | Metamorphoses of the African American Identity in Post-segregation Era and the Theory of Afrocentrism |
| title_sort | metamorphoses of the african american identity in post segregation era and the theory of afrocentrism |
| topic | usa africa african americans identity afrocentrism africology pan-black cultural nationalism |
| url | https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/327 |
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