Homework Question #2

Of the three readings I definitely believe Asante has the most radical views about Blackness and what black’s need to do to reclaim it. In Asante’s opinion “Afrocentricity”, the relocation of African persons to the center of their culture, Africa, is the only way the remove “European anti-African racism from black minds.” Throughout the essay Asante keeps pushing this idea that since the slave trade blacks have been losing and essentially have completely lost their cultural footprint and the only way to regain it is to start all over and “return to the source of their minds.” I’m not sure I agree with Asante, I definitely believe there are ways we can fix this issue from home. From what I got from the essay, Asante pretty much blames Europeans for all the turmoil and pain regarded and lack of self-identity Blacks have and that they have stripped blacks of their culture and brainwashed them with thoughts of insignificance.

West, Hooks, and Hall all have more realistic views in Blackness, how we got to where we are and how to fix it. As many have already stated the readings were a little difficult to comprehend but I think that comes from an inclusion of insignificant details within the essays. They elaborate unnecessarily. For example West I felt went on for a while about the European timeline and how their up times and down times directly affected the status of Blacks. West felt the demise of the age of Europe resulted in the United States as a world power. The boosted moral led to ideas of decolonization that fueled many liberal movements, i.e. the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. Unlike Asante, West elaborates most on where we were than how we can change things to get to where we want to be.

I thought Postmodern Blackness was the easiest to comprehend but I agreed mostly with what Hall had to say. His theory that “the idea of Black is a political and culturally constructed category” really stood out to me. That theory is pretty much the main idea of the essay. I also really agree with Hall’s idea of the simplification of the black experience and how simply combating negative images with positives ones isn’t enough.

To sum it all up, I’d say the main difference between Asante and the other authors is that Asante offers the clearest solution but the fueling factors of that solution stem more from an emotional rather than a realistic or political standpoint.

Blog 2

After looking through a few of the other posts to try and keep mine fresh, the only thing I can say is that will be difficult. The idea of afroethnicity comes up in most of the posts and I'm afraid I have to be another one to say it. Asante talks about "blackness" as a stigma constructed because of afroethnicity. What this means is that the way blacks are viewed is due to the way that western culture has viewed them... ie europeans. Hooks, Hall, and West look at race, gender, and class and how these effect the views of blacks and how this can be fixed; they don't so much go and pin it on another group of people.

Blog 2

Maybe it's because I find word documents and PDFs a bit strenuous to read, but I had trouble grasping what each author was trying to say. I was able to figure out a couple points they were each making, but I am still unable to understand each essay completely.

Asante was teaching us the idea of Afrocentricity, which is the idea of African Americans reconnecting with their true origins in Africa. Asante believes that many African Americans have Eurocentric roots. Another topic Asante discussed was the fact that African American history is rarely studied in high school, especially when compared to Caucasian American history. The only times it is looked at is during civil rights and slavery, but these two topics are not even fully discussed.

One of the topics I pulled out of Hall's essay was the idea of "being black" and how the idea has been formed overtime through culture, and is a racist idea. Aside from accents and skin tone, everyone in the world is the same. But because we have the term "being black", we form ideas and stereotypes about particular groups of people.

I did not fully understand what Hook was trying to say about post modernism, but I can tell she believes that the majority of post modern history writings are written by white males. She also mentioned the idea of looking at blacks in separate classes, like we do with whites.

Finally, West tells us that it is important that everyone is equal, no matter what differences we all have.

Homework #2

All these articles were difficult for me to understand, but after re-reading them I found them to be very interesting. I thought all the authors stated their information well. The difference between Asante piece from all the other articles is that she is very strong towards her views on Afrocentricity, and she makes very strong points that she likes the idea of the importance of African people in culture, philosophy, and history. I believe the main different in all of these articles is their different viewpoints, and Asante's main focus of Afrocentricity. 

Weekly Blog #2

After reading the three articles I noticed some similarities and noticeable differences among the essays. All of the essays talk about ways that African Americans are marginalized and peripheralized in society, but the main differences come from how to remedy the plight of African Americans. Asante argues that Afrocentricity is the best way so break the fringes of European beliefs. He says that African Americans have lost their "cultural footing" and won't be "able to free our minds until we return to the source". His arguement is based on the notion that, 'how can we change ourselves, if we don't actually know ourselves and our past?" He believes that Afrocentricity will be the key to proper education and the revival of African American culture. Hooks and West both argue that the best way to denounce popular belief is by "engaging decolonization" within the African American culture and branching out to new areas that others would deemed unsuitable for African Americans. They say that blacks themselves must challenge the notions of universality and create new identities for themselves. Both West and Hooks also call for the high intellectuals of the African American society to embrace black communities and "cultivate habits that reinforce awareness that knowledge can be shared on a number of fronts." They believe that change should start in the lower levels of classes, so that way it "enables social action and enlists collective insurgency for the expansion of freedom and individuality."

Blog 2

To be truthful the readings were sort of hard and I had difficulty understanding most of the vocabulary. I think that when you put to many difficult words in your writing it makes it hard for people to interprate and makes it bland. From what I got from the readings was that Asante differed from Hook, Hall, and West becuase afrocentricity was his main thesis. He wants people to know that when you talk about african american culture and history you can't just study it here in the united states, you have to go back to africa because that is were it all started. In his writing he blames europe for most of the bad image portrayal that is associated with some african americans. He talked about Eurocentricity and how many african europeans and african americans shun from there ancestry and try to be "white" men, but he also says that "wood may remain in water for ten years but it will never be a crocodile." Hooks, Hall, and West on the other hand differ from asante because there central focus is on other topics such as class and gender, how people still view african americans today and how we can change that.

Homework2

Asante's piece is about the image protrayed of African's and African American Culture and how most of these images are derived from the Eurocentric idea. Asante believes that Africans are viewed only in the diaspora and mere creations of Europe. As to say that the ideas and cultures are not their own but piggy-back off others and has been created for them. Asante also talks about Afrocentricity and how it goes back to human history to eliminate notion that African American Culture is not its own. When comparing Asante's piece to the works of Hooks, West and Hall, it is clear they all have contrasting beliefs to Asante's. To them, it is important to deminish earlier uncultivated views of African American Culture but to also rebuild them with more concrete and diverse approach making sure to include gender, race, and class because even though as Asante suggests, "all blacks are on the same boat," there are differences among each sector and shouldn't be generalized as a whole.

Blog 2

     Each of the authors’ arguments about Blackness are similar in they agree that the common Black experience created a unifying identity that transcended ethnic and cultural divides.  Where the arguments of Hooks, Hall, and West seem to differ from that of Asante, however, is that they discuss the impact of postmodernism on the Black experience.  For example, Hooks argues that this period was witness to increasing class division and differentiation which, on the one hand, created a Black middle class and, on the other, a growing Black underclass.  As a result of this and other similar developments, Hall suggests that, “the Black subject cannot be represented without references to the dimensions of class, gender, and sexuality.”  Similarly, West argues that although all Blacks are “in the same boat" because of their shared experiences of subjugation to White supremacist abuse, such a depiction is incomplete because it "overlooks how racist treatment vastly differs according to class, gender, sexual orientation, nation, region, hue, and age.”  Thus, while Asante promotes the transcending spirit of Afrocentricity, Hooks, Bell, and West seem to go beyond this and also advocate coming to terms with the diversifying impact of postmodernism on the Black experience.  

Question 2

All of these authors discuss the importance of black culture. Asante describes the importance of Afrocentricity vs. Eurocentricity. Asante believes that we should analyze the culture of blacks from Africa; we should look at all of the experiences that Africans had/made not just the Eurocentrist approach. So, basically we should incorporate Afrocentricity with Eurocentricity to fully understand the history and culture of African Americans. The other authors, Hooks, West, and Hall all discuss ways in which we should examine black culture. Hooks states the importance of all black people (rich, middle-class, poor, women, men, etc.) in the studies of black culture. Hooks also says, "theoretical and critical thinking need not be transmitted solely in the academy." He thinks that we should talk about black culture openly to inform people about the importance of black culture. West has a similar approach. West points out that we should look at black culture and society together. We should think about all of the effects that blacks have had on society and vice-verse. This includes the overall "representational practices in terms of history, culture, and society" (West, p. 94). Hall talks about how culture is not a thing of the past. Culture is still present today; it is changing and evolving everyday. Hall talks about ethnicity in a political, historical, and cultural way. On page 443, he states, "it is the effect of a theoretical encounter between black cultural politics and the discourses of a Eurocentric, largely white, critical cultural theory which in recent years, has focused so much analysis of the politics of representation." He states that there are good and bad in every race, and that not all blacks are "innocent." Overall, all of these readings discuss black culture, but Asante's work focuses on Afrocentricity. Asante, in my opinion, talks a lot more about racism and the Eurocentric views on black culture than the other articles.

Blog 2

For this last week's reading, I must admit, I was a taking a leap at understanding the main messages from the authors. As I stated in the last blog, I have not had much introduction into African American culture so jumping into these readings have been quite the challenge. However, I do grasp that all four authors have their own views and outlooks on African American history. Asante believes in the concept of Afrocentricity, reconnecting all the way back to true African roots. He believes Afrocentricity as a theory change intends to re-locate the African person as a subject, not just an object. This is basically saying that African American culture needs to be studied as a whole, not just as a part of a wider subject. This makes clear sense to me; that African American culture needs to be studied and looked at as African American culture, not just an aspect on how it affected white culture. In my previous knowledge of African American culture, we studied exactly the way Asante believes we shouldn't, which I wish hadn't been the case. African American culture deserves a subject of its own, which I feel I haven't gotten a grasp on. Similar to Asante, Hall also believes in focusing just on African American culture to get a better understanding, without other outside influences like polities. This piece I was a little lost on, however I did take out of it that African Americans are not all innocent, as well as every race. Hooks looks closer on the class aspect of race and gender. She states that historically society is dominated by white men. Blacks also tend to do the same thing, and that as a culture we need to recognize that it is not fair how we divide up white men unlike black men. I wish this piece would have explained this a little better, because I think the idea she was very interesting. Finally, West is very basic in the idea of equality. This is upfront and very agreeable to me, because in this day and age his idea would make so many conflicts peaceful.

Week 2 Blog

The arguments made by Asante, hooks, Hall, and West all mention culture, however what separates Asante's argument from the rest the emphasis on Africa. Asante discusses Afrocentricity vs. Eurocentricity and Africa's influence on the U.S. Asante also emphasizes how African Americans are subjects, rather than "objects in the Western project of domination." Asante's argument's stood out to me because I had never thought of African American influence from the root of Africa until being introduced to Afrocentricity. I also never before realized how much of an impact Africa has had on society today. One of the main things I would like to point out about Asante's argument over the other writers, is the point made about appreciating and respecting all cultures. Specifically what was different was when Asante said that it wasn't about being "color-conscious" but culture-conscious. I really found this interesting because, as Asante mentions, each person is somehow invested in culture, whether through his/her own or through someone elses.
BB

Weekly Blog #2

I thought that all 4 of these essays were pretty hard to follow and grasp main points. One similarity between all is that they all adressed how/why Africans and others perceive themselves. In Asante's piece, Afrocentricity was the main idea, Asante focused on the idea that the world views Africans based on European viewpoints and ideas. What we know of African culture comes from how Europeans interpret it, not necessarily how it really is or how Africans want to be perceived. Asante goes all the way back to the Greek era and says that for half a melinium or 5000 years that African culture was ignored. During that period, any good doing, say by the Egytians the greeks would have taken credit for. Asante says this still goes on today and black's could have the slave mentality, accepting their culture interpreted by Europe (or others).

Hooks, Hall & West look at how Africans are perceived from both sides. They say that African culture today is influenced by how they (Africans) think of themselves as well as how other ethnicities see them. You cannot have a valid argument on African culture by only looking at how others view them, you have to know how they see themselves as well. Multiple variables can influence ideas and represenations on a culture. And, in order for one to have a valid opinion on a culture, or history of a culture, you have to look at every viewpoint, and any variable that could skew ideas.

Question 2

After reading through the articles from Asante, West, Hooks, and Bell, I was able to get an understanding coming from various points of views. Asante's article focused on one main argument. It expressed resentment toward the European view point on African American Culture and focused on the concept of Afrocentricity. By Asante focusing on one side of the argument, I believe it made for a little harder of a read. On the other hand, West, Hooks, and Bell focused on both sides of the argument. They perceived the modern day African American culture as to be molded by both African and European cultures. I believe to fully understand an argument being made about either past or present events, it is necessary to understand both sides rather than just one.

Question #2

To be honest this reading was very hard to comprehend but what i got from Asante is that African American Culture has been lost and now it is time to bring it back and learn more about in depth. I feel that we have paid too much attention to White history and not enough about African American history. Not everyone has a good understanding of Afrocentricity and I feel that Asante explains it well.
Hook Speaks about postmdernism and how it is dominated by whites. When looking at postmodern writing it does not have many black views ad she brings up how it might strick a black females interest.
West is basically saying that all things should be equal no matter the race, gender, or sexuality.Hall takes a political stand on the issue about African Americans. What I get is that representation is a big aspect.

question #2

Hooks's article differed from Asante's in the area of separation.  In the 8th statement, Hooks insists the the objective of the postmodern theory is not to evaluate the "otherness" of minority groups.  From my very recent experiences with African American Studies, this was a new idea to me.  I liked that Hooks urged that the "deep alienation, despair, uncertainty, loss of a sense of grounding" can be shared by many groups of people, even if their circumstances are not necessarily similar.  It is important to consider several perspectives on society in order to develop a well rounded idea.  Unlike Hooks, I felt Asante focused on peoples of African decent and only of African decent.  While I understand the importance of this as a foundation of the study, I think it is all necessary to expand into the current situation and the effects of African Americans in society as a whole.

Question 2

As with all aspects of history there are varying viewpoints that can branch off into several different paths of understanding on a certain topic. The viewpoint of Asante comes across as a very resentful toward European historians and the way they have manipulated history to created what Asante views as a false identity for African Americans. It is seen by Asante that Europeans, through the use of their domination over the African race, came to take credit for what would eventually become the culture of African Americans. Asante, however, feels this is completely fictional and that the culture of African Americans can be traced back entirely to their cultural roots in Africa and suffered no influence on behalf of the Europeans. The views of Hall, West, and Hooks are somewhat between the arguments of European and African influence with both recognizing the impact of Africa and European societies upon what would become African American culture. Asante has chosen one side of an argument completely when dealing with questions of African American identity while Hall, West and Hooks choose to present both sides of the issue.

Brian

Week 2 Question

The argument that Asante makes about Blackness is that people of African descent should understand that their heritage, culture, and history of where they came from is all important in shaping who they are today. Now with all that said, it does not mean that the eurocentric view did not in some ways shape people's culture and history over time, it just means that people should not ignore this afrocentric view. People of African descent should be realized as subjects and not objects in their role in history. They should be proud of where they come from and not try and cover this up with the widespread eurocentric view.

Bell Hooks article about post modern blackness talks about how people should not ignore the plights of many black people that have been dislocated from power. The examples that are given of are women and how black women are often ignored in their struggles in black history and are not given as much credit as they may deserve in shaping black history and the black experience. The article talks about how there are many factors that we cant ignore when looking at black history, and how each person has their own history and experience. Just because someone is categorized as "black" does not mean that they all come from the same experiences and same cultures.

Cornell Wests, "The new politics of Difference", also talks about how there are many influential factors that have impacted black history and that these should not be over looked. These include class, gender, and sexualities among others. Black history has been influenced by many of these over time and we as a people cannot assimilate these and not take into account others.

Halls article also trys to make the point that ethnicity involves many different histories and cultures and we should understand that black identity is varied and cannot be described easily. People from all races should not be categorized into one group assuming that they all have the same historical, cultural, and political experiences. These representations can lead into stereotyping and over generalizing. By following these stereotypes, it limits people to one mindset, which is naive.

I feel that some of these readings (Hooks, Hall, and West), although making distinct points, seemed to tie into each other. This made it hard for me to understand and see the differences between these articles. I really liked the Asante essay, because I felt that some people of African descent may have lost sight of their history and culture to a majority eurocentric view over time. Although nowadays, people may be looking into their history and culture and really appreciating where they have come from and where they are planning to go in the future. Overall, all pieces gave me a better understanding of how ethnicities and cultures are very complex and that we should always focus on all the elements that played apart in creating our history, and never ignore some.

Question 2, Comparison of articles

Personally, I struggled to fully understand and analyze these articles, but I feel I gathered a general sense of each thesis.  These articles all centered around African-American identity and the question of how best to attain it.  Asante feels it is best to look back to the identity of one's ancestors in order to develop a personal identity.  Hall toys with the idea that culture (and therefore identity) is created and ever-evolving due to environment and circumstances of a given time.  Therefore, we should look at where we are now and where we want to be (?)  Hooks seems to take a similar position to Hall in that he looks at developing an African-American identity in a postmodernist era, not the past but where we are now.  West feels we need to move towards an ideal called, "The new cultural politics of indifference."  This is encouraging African-Americans to develop their own PERSONAL identity since there are several cultures among African-Americans.  However, he also encourages progressivism in a sense of bringing diversity into the spotlight.  These articles are much more complex, but I feel these are the points the authors are trying to communicate.

 

Week 2 Question

I think that all four authors have very distinct viewpoints and opinions when it comes to African American history.

Hall was very concernred with representation of a culture and beleived that it was mostly political. Hall thinks that how one inidividual or member of a culture acts has an effect on everyone of the culture. However, he does not believe that all blacks are completely innocent, unlike Asante. Lastly, Hall believes that African American history is a conglomeration of a various histories or events in history.

Hooks basically thinks that post modern history is dominated clearly by white males. She suggests to look at blacks the same way that we do whites; in classes. If we were to break down the race we could more easily help and target the lower class or poor blacks. I think she makes a valid observation because we do break whites into classes and we do not seem to do that with blacks. So by fixing that, maybe we can better understand that different magnitudes of people that make up that culture.

West's statement and mission is very clear. He feels that we should all have the same, equal rights regardless of race, gender, age, anything really. I completely agree with what he has set to do but it seems to be a very difficult dream to obtain and he obviously still has a logn way to go with that.

Asante first beleives that Africans' history has been tainted from the Eurocentric view of which they have been taught. He believes that they should be able to know and reconnect with their true origin and cutlure: Afrocentricity. He thinks that the history that Africans learn is being rewritten or misconstrude by whites. He also wants Africans to be studied like white Americans more as a subject and just subjects. He feels that white American history gets paid a great amount of attention more than does black history. And I would have to agree. We do not learn African American history as a separate subject in lower grades and high school. We learn subjectively important parts of it as it happens to fall within the context of our American history classes but it is not seen as a separate culture. I can completely agree with Asante's feeling of having African history not given as much attention is white American history and I think that needs to change. Asante also points out how Afrocentricity seems to be feared by most. I would also have to agree with the statement. I think because people do not really know what it means that they fear it or stay away fromt the topic. I do wish that in his piece Asante gave suggestions on how to fix the problems he says in contemporary society in terms of staying away from Afrocentricity or our approach to "American" history.

-Sarah Pergine

Asante vs. Hooks, Hall, and West

Asante claims that African/African American history and the influences associated with said cultures have been shrouded out by and all credit given to Europeans. This is to say that Asante hopes to distinguish that cultural traits and factors creating the character of this culture were not influenced by or molded by European influence but they were a reactionary response to the situation of oppressive control in which they were in. This development over time is the creation of a culture but without acknowledgment from the rest of the world, African/African American culture fails to gain any notoriety, respect, or even independence as a people are still being oppressed as their culture is under the umbrella of another and no due credit has or will be given.

Hooks speaks on the disconnect between blacks and black intellectuals in the formulation, organization, and further creation of a cultural identity in a post-modern era. Hooks shows the division within a race as some feel that others do not have the authority or right to reprsent or speak for them. Black intellectuals are sometimes ousted as a defense mechanism as the insititution of education is immediately associated with Eurocentric ideas and influence. This lack of trust in the system causes this lack of trust to occir within a people resulting in a division that fails to help carry on a rich culture.

Hall speaks on the idea of being "black" as being a socially constructed culture, manner of behavior, and even image. This delineates from the creation or carrying on of a culture as no faith or credit is given in this culture as all that is "black" is seemingly put together by the various, mainly racist, opinions comprising our society. This furtehr refusal to acknowledge a developing culture portrays the lives of black people as shallow and uneventful as their entire culture isoe created and dictated by others.

West brings up the intellectual, political, and existental barriers holding back blacks form celarly defining their difference and independence in culture. Through these three areas of focus we see that in all areas blacks usually fail to qualify as legitimate entities in the prejudiced eyes of others. It is interesting how West calls this the "politics of difference" as that could no better titled. In order to gain control of their own culture and identity, it will take a political and well over thought battle to define their difference from others. The fear of the establishment or our core of society to deny any credit or recognition in concern to black culture is a fear based on relinquishing control and to do so would allow equality to inch a step closer.

These readings where very hard for me to comprehend well but what I got out it was Asante was focusing on the Afrocentricity aspect and he wanted African Americans to work on enriching their culture. He didnt want them to think they where Europeans. He wanted them to believe that it was ok to be them and they where human. It was time for africans to s

Question 2, how are the authors opinions differant?

Asanti is differant from the other three authors in a 3 distinct ways.
FIRST... Asanti has a strong opinion on Afrocentricity which is the act of helping Africans and people of African descent become relocated and paid attention too. Asanti believes that African Americans are to Eurocentric and they need to focus more on their origin, and not the historical past. Asanti also believes that blacks reject themselves and they try to connect with that Euro past and through this try and regain their sense of belonging from the whites.
SECOND... Asanti wants blacks to be studied not as objects but as a subject, just like American history of whites and indians, this makes sense, and he just wants the proper attention and admiration that everyone elses history recieves.
THIRD...Asanti has a strong opinion on people fearing Afrocentricity, and that may be because people are not used to it or are unfamiliar with the ideas.
Asanti is much differant from Hall, hooks, and West with his ideas and has a strong view point on Afrocentricity. Honestly it was a difficult read, but I think I take away some main points of how he views history, and helps me rethink how I see the past as well. Where the authors differ is that Asanti has a much darker look, and the others are more positive and try to come up with helpful solutions to racism.

hooks...
hooks thinks that we could address post modernism with a critical thought since there is little mention of blacks and is heavily dominated by white males. Women helped offer a new insight , and hooks mentions looking at blacks as in classes, just like whites, and help create a strategy to help the underclass. She has a good idea about comparing races, since I think you have to make things equal to compare them, and by braking them into classes, you are better able to understand the struggles and past they have experienced.

Hall...
Hall believed that ethnicity is framed historically, culturally and politically, this means that the black identity reflects reflects a variety of histories. He believes that representation is political and it matters alot, and that people speak individually as a member, rather than for the entire group. Hall also talks about how blacks are not necessarily innocent, or that everything they say or do is not necessarily correct. This is differant than Asanti, who rather believes that most everything blacks do is correct. Finally Hall things that representation creates a image that all cultures can percieve.

West...
West on the New Political Differance, and to do this he thinks we all need freedom and the same rights, regardless of age gender or sex. To do this he needs the cooperation of all communities adn groups to make this happen, but he has so far been unsuccessful.

The four authors have differant viewpoints on african american history, but each bring a unique point of view, with differant interests to help me think about everything.

Week two blog question

The readings from Assante, Hooks, Hall and West were very challenging! But after careful reading and re-reading, I have a clearer understanding of what each was writng about Blackness and black culture. Assante prefers to view Black culture from an Afrocentrist position versus an entirely Eurocentrist positition. This places peoples of African descent as the suject in their own cultural production not as the object of a culture produced by primarily peoples of European descent. Peoples of African descent can re-claim identity and power, and their rightful position as producers of black and American culture. The Eurocentrist thinking is further based on racist ideology and white domination. It is this representation of race as social construstion that Hall addresses. He points to a turning point was when the term "black" became a unifying word for those experiencing "racism" and "marginalization." It began the struggle for blacks to re-claim the terms of representation, to frame black culture not as essentialistic and steroetypical but as pluralistic and multi-dimentional. This culture of difference was further ignoring the role of gender and class in cultural production. Culture is not something to consume, but is created not from outside, but from within. West and Hooks reminds the reader that culture is created through engagement and resistance. It is participatory, not just spectacle.

Asante, Hooks, Hall, and West' Arguments

Asante seems to have a different view than the other authors. After reading over the Afrocentricity article plenty of times, I caught onto the themes more and more. This reading was difficult to understand and I found that going back and looking over my annotations and notes made it a little bit easier to comprehend. Starting with the explanation and definition of Afrocentricity, which is basically the African identity from the perspective of African people as centered, located, oriented, and grounded. Africans have lost their culture and have been dislocated . The act of Afrocentricity is to help Africans and people of African descent become relocated and noticed. It seems as though throughout this piece, the author stresses racism is so harsh and African Americans are treated so unfairly. Africans have been distancing themselves from their culture ever since they have been moved off the social, political, and economic terms and because the negative image of Africa. They don't want to be associated with Africa because then no one would accept them. Some Africans identify with being European and they write at a standpoint of a European. They basically consider themselves European and state that "it is impossible to be African and human." Some even claim that they came to American on the Mayflower or to the Caribbean as a plantation owner. They reject themselves because of their culture and they just want to gain the approval of the whites. It is stated that in many countries, there are many forms of racism. For example, in the Netherlands, African Americans were being compared to monkeys and they were the lowest form of hierarchy. West, Hooks, and Hall, on the other hand, tried to bring out the bright side and had solutions to this racism. Hall basically mentions that culture is always in the process of transformation. He talks about ethnicity. He mentions that ethnicity is framed historically, culturally, and politically. He brings out the word representation and explains how it is a way of talking about how things are represented and how one perceives and image. Hooks piece about Post Modernism touches on many different subjects. Shes mentions that the people that speak about Post Modernism is dominated by the voices of white mails and higher academic elites. There is hardly any mention of blacks in the white Post Modernism writings. The rise of women is also brought out by explaining how many of womens works on the discourse of post modernism offered new insights. She mentions that in order to take racism seriously, one has to look at all of the classes of African Americans. There is a black middle class, a growing black underclass, and because of deindustrialization, a black industrial working class. She wants to find a way to make strategies for change so that the people of the underclass can renew their spirits. West's piece includes ways to make a new cultural politics of difference. He says that in order to obtain this, people should be allowed the expansion of freedom and individuality. Everyone should have the same rights no matter what your sexuality, gender, race, culture, or bias is. There are three challenges that the new cultural politics of difference faces. These three are intellectual, existential, and political. Under the intellectual challenge, Matthew Arnold was one of the main people under this. He proposed a new conception of culture which sought to stabilize an emerging civil society. In order to make this happen, he wanted to emerge the middle classes and then merge all classes together. World War 1 occured and that ruined his plan. Another man emerged, Eliot, who wanted to restore Europe after the war. He liked the idea of civilization. The United States soon became a world power and it helped to fuel the Civil Rights and Black Power movement. The blacks wanted to fight for representaion and rights for themselves. They wanted to offer positive images of themselves and push the postmodernblacks intellectuals toward a new culture and politics. In the Existential challange, self- confidence, discipline, and perserverence are necessary for success. This approach stresses critics and artists to put aside the differences and free themselves to learn and build from the interactions around them. This approach can only work if there are communities, groups, organizations, institutions, subcultures, and networks of people of color who cultivate critical sensibilities. In the last approach, The Political challagne, the main idea it consists of is forging allies of people of white and black color to be guided by a moral and political vision and to gain individual freedom in all communities and states. These 4 authors have different viewpoints on African Americans and the racism and ways to halt and deal with it.

(Posted by: DB) William, Painter and Higher Learning Questions

1. What issues does Williams expose in her essay? The idea of respect between teachers and students. Williams realize that women and especially minority women have to overcome various type of discrimination and oppression in the work place. Williams believed that her experience in her department was an isolated experience that she alone experienced. She realized that the prejudice or discrimination and ignorance went beyond her communicating with students of the majority but it also reflected in communicating with minority students.
2. What are the road blocks to teaching African American Studies? The idea that African-Americans are the only ones who can teach African American studies courses. The idea that an African-American studies majors cannot be as intelligent as doctors and lawyers. The notion that African-Americans in the past were considered to be dumb and uneducated to learn about the history of a so called “primitive” race would be an inconceivable thought for scholars. Leaving the “assumption” that only dumb people want to learn about other dumb people. Including the ideals that most people perceive that racism and discrimination is a thing of the past, why should we learn about it, why should we take it serious enough to bring up our ugly past? 3. How do the perceptions of students affect the learning process in African American Studies courses? If the students are not freely engaging in the material it would leave the instructor to believe 2 things, students do not truly understand the material or they did not care enough to do the homework so that they cannot engage in the lesson. Students are the base for the course to stand on and continue to grow, if they do not feel comfortable enough to express their thought positive or negative their will not be a discourse for the material so that it can expand outside of the classroom. Some time students that believe they know too much about the subject than they will not give enough attention to the material allowing their knowledge to help others and if students feel they do not know enough they sometimes shy away and do not allow themselves to truly appreciate the information that they are given.4. What’s in a name? (e.g., “Rho, Rho incident”). The name Rho-Rho is lends to the idea that there is no respect offered to the professor. The professor felt that the young woman was taking away her accomplishments as a teacher, a professional and as an educated black woman. The teacher did not think that the young woman was trying to identify with her but that she was being disrespectful. I do feel that the comment or nickname was out of place because education is a profession and should not be taken lightly and a certain level of professionalism should be exercised at all times. I do feel that Professor or Dr. Williams should have made her feelings clear about how she would like her students to interact with her and how they should communicate in the course because the topic that she teaches is sensitive.5. What environment do you think is optimal for learning and discussion of difficult topics unfamiliar (or familiar) to students? I feel that the classroom is a great start for educators to begin exploring the topics of difficult subjects but it not the most effective. I feel an atmosphere of friends and/or peer groups would be a more favorable environment for difficult topics. Purely because people will open up and say or do things they would not typically do while they are in a classroom this way you can see and hear how people truly react to a subject. People tend to receive information better when it comes from their peer/friends because they feel they can relate to that person, and knowing that their friends/peers feel differently than they do will allow them the opportunity to view the topics in a new light.6. What did Painter experience at Princeton? Painter experience a similar type of discrimination that Williams experienced. She felt that her authority or education was being undermined and questioned (one student asked if she had a Ph.D). She encounter people that believed that “black studies was only put into place to serve and employ black faculty”.7. What examples does Painter provide about the “state” of African American Studies? The examples she uses is the idea that African-Americans can only teach the studies, that only African-Americans can benefit from the studies, that the department is not respected as other highly regarded department and the African-American Studies staff is under prejudice because of the way their field is regarded by others. What problems does the field face? The field faces the problem of not being able to give the knowledge and employment opportunities to people that are not of African descent (due to stereotypes of the department). That students and staff are not informed properly about the department not allowing it to expand and truly educate. The department will “wither away because of the isolation” that it receives from the rest of the departments. How are these problems connected to teaching and learning? If you do not attempt employ African-American Studies staff based on their credentials rather than their skin color the complete idea of African-American history will be lost in translation (not saying that teachers in this department are hire purely off of race). The idea that African-Americans have strived for years to be seen as equals not isolated and treated differently connects the history taught in the African-American Studies department. Diversifying the department might spike the interest of majority students to have them realize the importance of the department and its growth. 8. After reading the three essays about the field, what stands out as most important to you? I think the most important thing to know about the fields is that African-American studies faculty and students are just as intelligent as everyone else and the field should not be taken lightly as an easy course just to breeze through. People should take the time to educate themselves about the fields and the individuals that are a part of the field before making any faulty judgment. Did it make you think of the field and yourself as a student in a different way? Honestly no because I am a student of the department and I see the struggles first hand on this campus that I feel need to change.
3. . What does the clip propose about the importance of education and achievement? That if you educate yourself properly you will be able to achieve anything. That education is the only way to achieve any level of achievement in our society.2. What does the clip propose about perceptions of race and education? Those who are black must educate themselves to have a chance in moving beyond the future that is place before them. The idea that they the game of education or success is not created by blacks give them an unfair, disadvantage of actually succeeding in their educational endeavors (unless they are willing to play the game according to the rules).3. What might the clip propose about what one can learn/gain from African American studies texts? The clip proposes that we can learn about African-American history/text so that we can learn about the hardships and how not to recreate them and how to progress from them. When the Professor speaks he allows them to know despite the belief that they are trapped in their current state of longing for an education, wealth and success they can still progress beyond the longing to the achievement through the “intelligent use of knowledge” they gain throughout life (and African-American history).4. Is information power? I believe that information is power. How so? Without the knowledge of how to accomplish a task how can we improve upon the task? How can me move forward and learn how not to repeat the past. Without information how will we be able to know if we agree or disagree with the way we are progressing or standing still in society? There would be no way for us to measure these thought because we would not have the knowledge or information in our brains to determine what these questions or thoughts mean.

Denying a Culture its Identity

We can see that in simply referring or basing all accolades in world/cultural development on the shoulders of others(mainly Europeans) we are denying and failing to acknowledge a culture. This idea of black people being culturally based or created within the European mold is preposterous as stealing someone and forcing them onto your land or within your confines does not make them or their ancestors a reflection of your culture. In this particular case this emphasis on European culture is almost a slap in the face to a group who had suffered under a regime of slavery but also, it is an attempt at further control or ownership, as to deny or not acknowledge one's culture is to simply ignore or neglect their identity. This is further backed up by the refusal to give any credit for cultural creations and expressions that are brought out within the black community as this would be considered acknowledging and giving due credit to a beautifully independent culture in which was, in all actuality, merely reactive to the oppressive culture which was forced upon them in the first place.

question 1

I decided to take Introduction to African American studies because I really wanted to learn about a culture that isn't my own. I don't think I have learned enough about the history of African Americans in the United States, which I think is vital to understanding what is going on around me. I think I need to expose myself to a lot more cultural works so I can be a more empathetic and educated citizen.

Question 1

In my personal experience I have not learned much about african american culture or history in school. Where I went to school there were very few african americans. I think you need to have background knowledge to help you understand their culture. Knowing that this is not a very diverse school I do not want to feel confined to ignorance of other cultures. I believe by diversifying myself it will help me gain a vast knowledge of different subjects.

Homework #1

I am a sophomore studying psychology at Iowa. I decided to take African American Culture not only for my major, but to further my knowledge about the African American experience in this country. I would like to learn more about the history of African American culture to understand it's continued development in America. I am very interested in this class because studying psychology I would like to expand my knowledge of different cultures and would like to better understand their histories. I believe I will learn more about African American culture in this class then any other history class I've taken which is exciting to me because of our new president and as new changed come to our country. Hopefully, I will become better informed about our new culture and it's positive future. 

- Mara H. 

Blog 1

I'm taking this class in hopes to learn more about a culture that I have not learned much about. I'm an education major, so I will be working with all different types of kids with different backgrounds. This class will help me get a better understanding and perspective on African American culture, which will ultimately help me become a better teacher.

week 1 Blog

I am an engineering major.  The majority of classes that I take are problem solving classes with many formulas.  This class is important to my undergraduate education to provide a breath of fresh air from the classes that I am used to.  Hopefully, this class will offer diversity in my schedule and can open my eyes to a culture I have not studied previously.

Homework 1

African American Studies is important to me because in high school the subject was not offered and what I did find out in high school was brushed over briefly unless of course if was black history month. I feel that being African American it is important for me to know who paved the way for me to be able to do the things I do today such as attend a public university, have a decent job and being able to eat, shop, and vacation as I please, where I please. A lot of history is being lost and if I can find it and pass it along to friends, family and others, I'm doing my part to keep it alive.

Higher Learning: African American Studies, Pedagogy, and Stealing the Knowledge

Discussion Questions for Williams, Painter, and Multi-media:

1. What issues does Williams expose in her essay?
2. What are the road blocks to teaching African American Studies?
3. How do the perceptions of students affect the learning process in African American Studies courses
4. What’s in a name? (e.g., “Rho, Rho incident”)
5. What environment do you think is optimal for learning and discussion of difficult topics unfamiliar (or familiar) to students?
6. What did Painter experience at Princeton?
7. What examples does Painter provide about the “state” of African American Studies? What problems does the field face? How are these problems connected to teaching and learning?
8. After reading the three essays about the field, what stands out as most important to you? Did it make you think of the field and yourself as a student in a different way?



1. What does the clip propose about the importance of education and achievement?
2. What does the clip propose about perceptions of race and education?
3. What might the clip propose about what one can learn/gain from African American studies texts?
4. Is information power? How so?

Blog 1

African American Studies is a relevant class to my undergraduate study because of my major. My major is American Studies, which is an indterdisciplinary study including History, English, Literature, Philosophy and probably some other things as well. What this means is that as an American Studies scholar, one looks at events and how they happened, why they happened, how it affected the future and how we can learn from it. It's a study that's grown over time to recognize African American and Women studies. Having grown from a very elitist WASP scholarly group, it's important to understand as much about American society as possible which includes all races of people here.

We are a salad bowl of a country, so it's important when studying America to understand every piece of the salad in order to understand the synergistic relationships each group has with every other group to create the diverse country we have now.

Week 1 blog

African American Studies is necessary for any undergraduate in the American Studies program, such as myself. African Americans have played such a key role in the history of the United States, thus making it vital to understand both the history of African Americans in the United States and how it has affected American culture. One thing I learned from last semester is that in order to fully understand the American culture, it is important it study all subcultures and groups, such as African Americans. The U.S. is called the great melting pot for a reason - we are full of diverse communities with important history that has helped shape America

Blog Question #1

Because I hope to enter a field in which I will be working with others (Social Work), it is important for me to further understand some of the factors that contribute to why people act and live the way they do. Therefore African American Studies impacts how I interact with others. It is impossible to fully understand why our society is the way it without studying African American history. Seeing how society has been influenced will also impact how I view the changes that take place around me. My knowledge repertoire will grow because through African American Studies I will learn to better appreciate the present, because I will better understand the past. For example, because the achievements, struggles, and contributions of African Americans were recognized in history, the fact that we have just elected the first African American president means more to me than it might have if I hadn’t learned of the advancements in the past.

BB

Blog Question 1

Being a history major with an emphasis on American history, taking a course in African American Studies is certainly highly relevant to my undergraduate education, especially because of the lack of previous knowledge I have on the subject.  Growing up in a small rural town where there was little or no minorities, African American culture was rarely discussed or even acknowledged.  Aside from learning about slavery in the context of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, any discussion of the topic of African American culture was largely absent.  Furthermore, during my time here at Iowa, the content of my history classes has largely been void of an in-depth or sufficient discussion of African American culture or history. Therefore, because African American culture has played such an important historical role, this absence has given me an incomplete understanding of American history throughout my life despite the fact that it is my major.  Thus, African American Studies is certainly relevant to my undergraduate education as it will help me obtain a better understanding of the topic in which I am studying.

I have a undecided major as of right now. So right now I am not sure what I want to do and maybe this class will have something to do with my major you never now. I went to a all back school back home and its amazing that we didn't have many African American classes. I only know the basic information  and I thought now would be a great time to expand. I look forward to learning all the new and wonderful things in your class.

Week One Blog

African American studies will give me a more diverse knowledge of the history and culture of African Americans. I am very eager and excited to learn how far African Americans have come in our society. When I become a nurse, I will be able to relate to patients and co-workers who share this culture. I am hoping to learn more about the history and events that African Americans endured in life. I am also very excited to hear more about historical African American figures that were left out in my high school text books. I took an African Art class and was able to learn about the different cultures in Africa, so I am excited to see if African Americans share some or all of the same values.

Blog Question #1

This African American studies class will be valuable to me because it fulfills my humanities requirement for general education and since I am a business major, hopefully I can learn how influential African Americans shaped the industries that we depend on today. My general knowledge of African American culture is poor, so hopefully this class can fill in some of that empty space. I find it quite shocking that the African American culture and equal rights movement is not being educated to the extent it should be. For such an important era which changed the lives of millions, I don't see how it could be overlooked. From noticing how many students say they weren't thoroughly taught the history of African American culture, I think that our education system has a serious flaw in it. I think that it would be beneficial to many students if more schools would teach the history of not only African American culture, but also Latino and Asian cultures in their curriculum.

Weekly Blog Question #1

History of African Americans has always been an interest of mine. From the time Blacks were shipped here for slavery and now with a Black President, much has taken place in that time frame and I hope to learn about the steps taken in history to get to where we are today. I am a business major, so haven't taken much history courses. I am taking this course as an elective because I think it will be very interesting, and also broaden my knowledge before graduation this May. I have not had the opportunity to study African-American history at all, and I only know what was taught in my high-school history courses. I hope to leave this course with a much deeper understanding of the main highlights and actions that were taken to get to where we are today. And thus, be more knowledgeable on the subject.

Homework Question #1

As far as my education goes, I’m a liberal arts student and in my opinion taking this African-American culture course is vital to obtaining the well-rounded education I came to this university seeking. Furthermore as a Political Science and Pre-Law student I plan on one day becoming a lawyer and later a politician dealing directly with civil rights. It’s most important to have a deep understanding of a number of cultures that make up our country to better relate to my clients and excel in my field.
Personally, I think learning about different cultures is so interesting and refreshing. It’s a shame that the African-American culture is so foreign to me and I know there’s more to it than forefront figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m most interested in finding out more on the impact these figures have had on my culture and also on the American culture as a whole.

Question 1

I feel as though learning about African-American culture is a necessary in a country where African-Americans are so prevalent. As an African-American I also feel that it is important to know and understand our past and why we are at the point we stand now. Over the span of hundreds of years we as a race have came so far and I believe it is only fair to pay respect to those who paved the way. At first I honestly wasn't expecting to learn so much history, but I do understand that in order to understand who we are we must understand what we were. I am excited to learn in an academic setting about African-American culture, which is a curriculum that wasn't offered to me before college.

Legitimacy of Learning

It is disturbing to think that within the halls of academia there are areas of study that must still fight for an admittance of legitimacy or simple acknowledgment of a valid and important academic effort. We live within a society/nation that has made the terrible mistakes of fervent and organized racism. The results of this were the horrid events and images associated with the black struggle for equality. These events and images have brought such shame and embarrassment to a nation that the study or research of these times is often ignored or institutionally urged to do so. I was told by a friend who had grown up and been educated until college in Germany that the holocaust and the years in which it existed are not discussed or spoken of in educating youth of Germany's history. We can find a similarity here in that the very shame that prevents the German educational institution from teaching of these years is the same that prompts the denial of an education in African American history. While the shame and embarrassment is warranted, this should be no reason to deny students and faculty alike the opportunity to research and teach about significant events that have shaped the history of our nation and its people. In order to prevent this education, the powers that be then attack the legitimacy of not only the subject matter but those who are scholars within this area. Discussion of this history does bring about questions and a revelation that our nation is not flawless, but to attack the quality of one's education or to deny the ability of students to be exposed to such subject matter is yet another protective device implemented in order to protect the vaguely pristine image our nation but to also prevent unsatisfactory opinions of said nation by its citizens.

Reply to Question 1

As an non-American African I always found African American history to be interesting. For it's really interesting to see two groups (Africans and African Americans) with similar origin but such distinct history. Where I come from, the history I have been taught is very different, for example, it does not include an era of slavery nor did its people struggle to survive and fit in. I think it's essential for me to understand the history of African Americans and their present struggles to be able to put them withing the bigger picture of African history. Not only that but understanding the culture and history of a certain group in general helps one avoid being the ignorant when dealing with those people. African American studies also becomes interesting when one looks at how among all the ethnic groups in the USA they are the ones who are mostly put under the spot light, I want to know why. I just think this class will able to answer many of the questions I have long harbored about African Americans.

Amira

Homework Question 1

I feel that African American Studies is going to be a vital source of information that will help me as a student and as an individual, broaden my knowledge of another race and culture. I have always been very intrigued by our nation's historical past. As stated by a classmate in our first class, the civil rights era and the African American cultural past is rarely talked about. Being such an overlooked period in our nation's past, I am very excited to learn about the people and the occurrences that helped shape our nation into what it is today.

Blog Question #1

I feel that the study of history is the single most important  discipline available in today's academic curriculum. In order to gain a better understanding of the world around us, studying the past helps us understand how our environment came to be. African American culture has played an enormous role in the development of the United States of America. By studying the culture of a people that have left a gigantic footprint on what has become America, I feel I will be able to gain a better understanding of the place I call "home." Furthermore, I am a cinema major with hopes of one day producing feature length films which are in effect character studies, and by studying African American culture I can further develop an understanding of a certain type of potential character to place into a narrative. This class will help me know how African Americans would typically react in a given situation that is based on their own personal history.

Studying African American history has always been an interest of mine. Unfortunately I did not have the options to study this in high school. Upon entering college I knew that I would have the opportunity. Learning more about my culture will allow me to get a better understanding of how and why things are happening. I have read many books and watched many movies and every time I am amazed by the stories. As a student said in class, the issues from many years ago concerning African Americans has been ignored because it's so hard to bring back the harsh memories. I am glad that the issues are now being brought up and discussed; with our 2009 president being of African American decent, it has shown me that anything is possible and has made me want to learn more about what has happened to get us to this point. I think that I will learn a lot in this class and I think that I will enjoy it very much. I have heard many good things about this class.

Homework question #1

African American history is so much rooted in the history and culture of America along with many other groups. It is important to understand African American culture and history, because it has played an important role in shaping this country over hundreds of years. To not talk much about this issue, would be ignoring how our country got to be where it is today. The inaguaration of 2009 and giving rise to an African American president, demonstrates how this country has changed from slavery and oppressing African Americans rights, to equality and freedom over our own lives. This also gives people inspiration to know that anything is possible and things such as race or ethnicity, are no longer roadblocks between people and their dreams. I hope that this class opens us up to learning things about African American history, that we may not have learned in any other history/cultural classes. I feel that by taking this class, I will better understand African American history and culture, and this will make me a better rounded person as I move on with my life after college.
-KJ

Importance of studying African American culture and history

I am a senior student studying Global Health, and decided to take this class to add to the narrow perspective I have gained of African American culture and history through a health lens.  In nearly every global health course, conference, and fundraiser, Africa is a main focus.  Learning of Africa's health dilemmas has grabbed my attention to learn more of the culture and present day challenges. I also took one year of Swahili here at Iowa which furthered my interest and desire to learn more about the basics of African American Studies. I look forward to the interactive and well-rounded direction of the course!

nellief- homework question one

As an American Studies major, it is vital for me to study African/American history & culture. The vernacular of difference has too long permeated the American experience. Race is an essentially socially constructed category of difference. While the African/American experience has been different from whites throughout history, those differences, is many instances, have been created by the uneven distribution of political influence and power controlled by white domination.
It is essential we begin to study and understand ourselves as Americans, not through the lens of difference but of sameness. At the same time, we must honor each others unique contributions to what is American culture. As I watch the events on inuaguration day, I can only hope that maybe we have come to understand and appreciate each other much more because of the development of African/American studies and those of other marginalized groups in America.

homework question 1

I really enjoyed reading Trotter's article.  It illustrated the evolution of African-American studies in a way I had never seen before.  My favorite aspect of the article was the transition from the civil rights movement to present day.  During the 1960's African American's struggled to fit into American culture.  By fighting for equality, African Americans gained the civil liberties they were denied for several decades.  With this new found equality, African Americans faced the risk of loosing their unique identity by conforming to the primarily white dominated American culture.  As African Americans continued to practice their civil liberties, they  were able to continue further education and expand their thinking.  As noted in the article, African Americans have begun to broaden their definition on African American history and culture.  Now African Americans work to continue to be recognized as equals while simultaneously celebrating their unique and historical culture.  Is it possible to achieve an equal, non-prejudice American society while continuing to celebrate everyone's unique culture?

Welcome AMS 045:030 Students: Note from Professor Whaley

Welcome to the Introduction to African American Culture Blog. This blog is designed for you to enter your reading responses and to dialogue with your peers and professor. Your first reading assignment for this Tuesday (Jan 20th) is:
Joe Trotter, “African American History: Origins, Development, Current State”

Please come prepared to discuss this essay on our first day. Lastly, your first blog question is as follows: How is African American Studies relevant to your undergraduate education and knowledge repertoire? Please write a few sentences in response to the question.

Happy Blogging!