what defines hegemonic African American identity in the 21st century because I want to find out the history of societal black judgement in order to help my reader better understand why blacks feel the need to judge and legitimize blackness and what steps can be made to counteract black ostracism.
This has been something that has fascinated me ever since I was a kid. My black peers constantly made me question who I was. If I was not black as they claimed, then what or who was I? I didn't have name brand things and I was not familiar with popular African American media or music, I felt disconnected.
I want to research more theories about what makes the collective black experience. One theory explains that during the 60's after desegregation when blacks were exposed to white students and had themselves too compare themselves too. Doing well and getting good grades was a white characteristic. The need for materialistic brands to define personal success is costly and irrelevant to the goals blacks should have.
I can see ideas about being a black person changing with newer generations, but some ideas and beliefs are deeply rooted and need to be modified to alter the expectations blacks have of one another. (221)
I think this is a very good topic. I have always wondered what makes a person more black than another. I can't wait to read your actual research paper. I think it is a shame that people are expected to act a certain way or dress because of their race. Since when does your skin color define who you are? I hope that with this research topic, you can be the one to make a difference in this some what cruel society we live in.
ReplyDeleteI like this topic as well, and I'll be very interested to read your proposal. There are countless things to read about the desegregation of schools, but not as much about what things were like for black students immediately after. I think you're on to something important.
ReplyDeleteI think you're one your way to an awesome paper! You definitely have a plan and a direction. One thing you did really well was state what you want out of the paper. From my perspective, you seem much more passionate about this topic which will positively contribute to the overall paper. You may want to consider not only what is the black experience typically, but what it's not, how it differs from different classes (poor blacks, middle class, rich, you know?) and how it's different/similar to other races in the same aspects. Great job; can't wait to read this paper! You're addressing an important topic.
ReplyDeleteI like the topic, and I think because it's personal, you'll already have insider knowledge of the demographic you're writing about. And just like me, you have to find a way to make this topic more specific.
ReplyDeleteSome possible outlets for you to expand on is region (rural vs urban, wealth, or intersectionality (African-Americans compared to African-Latinos)
My best suggestion is trying to tie it in with the creation of "surburban culture." The suburb is ideally where people of all backgrounds live unified by the American dream. And though the consumerism has emulated a shared experience, America is having an identity crisis
This sounds like a very interesting paper. I have often wondered how black is black? And what does acting black really mean? Being a black person as well, i have also wondered why it is I act differently around my white friends then i do my black friends. Finding the answers to these questions through the historical context you provided in your blog post sounds awsome and is something i would deffinately be interested in reading.
ReplyDeleteI think this topic will be very interesting to write on and read about. The problem of people not knowing exactly who they are is very important to think about in almost every way. I have often wondered myself how exactly we define terms of who people are, so this paper should be awesome and I bet will answer a lot of questions that many people have had.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good topic, last semester I had to watch a video at the Women's Center and I ended up watching a video about blacks and how there are different "shades" and "hair types" that group black people. I found it very interesting to think that a shade causes a difference (white people are white, white or white. no shades, so i don't understand that experience). I don't remember the name of the movie, but I know it was an old movie, probably from the 1980's, and the Women's Center might know the name of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI love this topic I think it is so important to address these ideas between races since we tend to focus on racism between different races. Another interesting topic would be to investigate the meaning of the word "ghetto" since I've heard it used in several different ways. Also, Dr. Moffitt did a screening followed by a discussion of the movie Good Hair which might be helpful to watch. As far as grounding, it seems like you want to include personal experience. Identifying a specific place and culture might focus your argument and give you the ability to include possible reasons of how these perceptions of "blackness" came to be.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic to explore! I think that with every race/ethnicity, there are socially constructed stereotypes people are expected fill into. We gotta break from these traits so we can stop judging people like "he is so White" or "she acts too Black"
ReplyDeleteI really like this topic because I believe it is a common problem. I think you should also focus on possible solutions to this misunderstanding. It would be extremely beneficial to your readers or just society in general.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting aspect about African Americans in America is the fact that even though segregation is no longer de jure practice in still exists, in a defacto sense, in a real way. Why do African Americans congregate together on campus, in the commons, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think this subject is so interesting! Not to say your previous one wasn't, but I think it is great that you are putting your personal experiences in your research when you reference your childhood and feeling ostracized.
ReplyDeleteWho is to say what is "acting white" or what is "acting black"? I can't wait to see what you come up with in your research because I think our views on race are still skewed even though people think that the way we all view each other is perfectly fine.
I liked your topic before but I really love this topic. I think it's important to question why our own races include or exclude certain people for not acting the way they expect. Who gets to define the standards for acting white or black?
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