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Pros and cons of Pan Africanism
History of african americans in america
History of african americans in america
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Culture carries the history and stories of those who belong to that culture. History is deeply embedded in African culture. No matter what region of the world people of black descent can relate to African culture. The differences in culture found in the different regions of the world come from the diaspora of black identity and because of this African culture is home. America is heavily influenced by African culture, the history of slaves in America is the main reason why black culture is an important aspect of America's history. In Michelle Hay text, “Popular culture : pan-African dimensions : a survey of scholarship”, she touches upon the spread of ideas and history that ultimately black people around the world seek even when they aren't …show more content…
aware of it. Alex also describes the construct of ‘the black community’ and the different variables of being part of ‘the black community’. African culture consists of two main aspects, Pan-Africanism and pan-Africanism.
Each significant to its own. Pan-Africanism consists of its political right views. Very significant to black people's struggle history and oppression. Pan-Africanism is the fight for justice, the steps black people have taken to teach and to express their dislike of their situation. To explain and express their fight against the struggles they have gone through. Hay best describes Pan-Africanism as, “a conscious and deliberate cultural and political movement in various part of the black world to increase contact between black populations and to unite them in pursuit of common interests.”(2007, p.1) The overall view of Pans-Africanism greatly represents the African diaspora, even when people have removed from their origins of Africa, home still calls. Pan-Africanism with the little p is described as Hay states an ‘infromal’ way black people have shared ideas and culture. The African diaspora has heavily influenced pan-Africanism that it is no surprise that African culture is nestled into the main origins of …show more content…
America. America is heavily influenced by African culture the history of America can not be told without the experiences and history and the movements cause by pan-Africanism and Pan-Africanism. During the slave era of America slaves brought to America came from different clans and origins of Africa but they experienced the same social situations which led to the sharing if ideas and culture and to the development of pan-Africanism. With the sharing of their cultural practices, the slaves developed a united culture that encompassed many of their similar cultural identities. The sharing of culture developed an identity for those living in America, their African ethnicity wasn't their overall connection but instead their racial identity as now Americans. Alexander text also touched upon the identity of slavery in America. Alexanders colleague Zora states, “ The Black community represents a community that is existing, that is surviving, that is built on and comes from the experience of slavery and that many of the attitudes, ways of living, modes of speaking, style of dress, comes from that oppression of slavery, with remnants and remembrances from a past life in Africa.” (2006, p.47) Black Americans will continue to remind and express social injustices because a large part of America's history consists of slaves taken from their homeland, Africa, and yes developed an identity and in itself develop pan-Africanism. America heavily revolves around black culture.
Black people influencing and sharing social justice is what makes up pan-Africanism. All types of popular cultural practices such as music, film, and literature are the biggest factors in pan-Africanism. Some popular forms of musical expressions are through hip-hop and reggae which is a way in which black people share their acceptance towards themselves and each other. Many popular and successful black Americans influenced and encouraged young black Americans to either resist injustices or encourage each other to bring change to their communities. Music such as hip-hop not only shared racial consciousness but also brought communities who thought of themselves as being one or the other come together. The hybrid culture, as Hay describes, “She makes the point that Puerto Ricans are not assimilated into African American neither do they abandon Puerto Rican culture, especially if Puerto Rican culture is understood to be African base. Instead, she argues that these are two afro-diasporic groups in the process of creating a new culture and identity. They're able to create a hybrid culture, she contends, because they share social identity and physical space and are similarly marginalized and racialized. . . . Their common cultural backgrounds, rooted in Africa, also play a significant role in the creation community.” (2007, p.29) Black expressive culture helps bring groups of people who might have similar or different backgrounds
come together and form an identity. African culture is home for many black Americans. The impacts of assimilation, history of America, and various ethnic groups in America have altered what African culture once was but has now changed to what most black people can identify with as the black culture. Although there maybe be a few things that might have changed in African culture there is still an exchange of cultural ties that brings people together. It is the same for any African culture found around the world. As people begin to change and grow so will pan-Africanism and Pan-Africanism. When it comes to African culture there is not one right origin.
Hip-hop culture has been a global phenomenon for more than twenty years. When introduced into the American culture, the black culture felt that hip-hop had originated from the African American community. The black community was being denied their cultural rights by the supremacy of the white people, but hip-hop gave the community the encouragement to show their black pride and televise the struggles they were facing in the world. The failure and declining of the movements, the influential, rebellious, and powerful music is what reshaped Black Nationalism, unity and to signify the struggle. The African Americans who suffered from social and political problems found that they similar relations to the political movements, which allowed the blacks to be able to voice their opinions and to acknowledge their culture openly.
Lawrence, L. (2007). Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom. London: Sage Publishers.
It must be noted that for the purpose of avoiding redundancy, the author has chosen to use the terms African-American and black synonymously to reference the culture, which...
In Stuart Hall’s “What is This “Black” in Black Popular Culture?” the historical implication of popular culture in the U.S is examined and the influence that blackness has in it is deconstructed. According to the text, the departure of European concepts of culture after WWII sparked a hegemonic shift as the United States emerged as a world power. Due to this, the U.S. became the epicenter of global culture production. However, since America has always had a large ethnic population due to slavery, the true face of American popular culture was black American vernacular traditions. Even today, slang that emerge from black ghettos and communities become highly popular with people of other races. In fact, much of black culture is not just our culture,
Brown, Ernest Douglas. "Africanisms in American Culture." JSTOR. University of Illinois Press, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Next is John Henrik Clark, who refers to African America Studies as Africana Studies because he believes that Black tells you how you look, not who you are. He goes on to state that he calls African American Studies “a dilemma at the crossroads of history” (Clark 32). This is because European people knew history well enough to distort it and use it, as well as political weapons such as the gun and bible, to control the world. This is the reason why a look at African culture will show what Africana Studies are about or should be about. Africana Studies should embrace the Africans all around the world, in places like Africa, North and South America, the Caribbean Islands even those in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Clarke states that Africa is
Black culture is the epitome of what defines America’s understanding of cool. It is difficult to define what it means to be cool without stating the influence or impact of the culture. The idea of cool developed as a social attitude implemented by black men during slavery which they used as a defense mechanism in order to cope with exploitation and injustice. It is now spread by hip hop culture which has integrated itself into mainstream society. As a result, black culture continues to play a vital role in America due to its innovative and creature nature.
Slave’s masters consistently tried to erase African culture from their slave’s memories. They insisted that slavery had rescued blacks form the barbarians from Africa and introduced them to the “superior” white civilization. Some slaves came to believe this propaganda, but the continued influence of African culture in the slave community added slave resistance to the modification of African culture. Some slaves, for example, answered to English name in the fields but use African names in their quarters. The slave’s lives were filled with surviving traits of African culture, and their artwork, music, and other differences reflected this influence.
In this paper I’m going to show how African Americans have used hip hop and black hair are two ways in which African Americans embrace their culture and fight oppression. However, as we have reviewed in many classes, oppression is not easily escaped. So in this paper, I’m going to show how cultural appropriation is used as a way of oppressing black culture. So this paper is an expansion of what we have learned in the class.
...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.
In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that “the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas” (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold which will take more than a month to learn about.
African-American music is a vibrant art form that describes the difficult lives of African American people. This can be proven by examining slave music, which shows its listeners how the slaves felt when they were working, and gives us insight into the problems of slavery; the blues, which expresses the significant connection with American history, discusses what the American spirit looks like and teaches a great deal from the stories it tells; and hip-hop, which started on the streets and includes topics such as misogyny, sex, and black-on-black violence to reveal the reactions to the circumstances faced by modern African Americans.
Most people believe that they know what hip hop is. Yet, these same people are more familiar with rap music than hip hop. Rap music tends to b the music broadcasted on television and radio stations alike. Hip-Hop itself is relates to a culture and history of peoples. Hip-Hop tells the stories of people oppressed in urban ghettos in all cities, and it promotes change and a transition in those oppressed. Dr. Charles Pinckney author of The Influence of Hip Hop Culture on the Perceptions, Attitudes, Values and Lifestyles of African American College Students states that "Hip hop culture is a form of musical art in words and stories that describe critical messages that are spoken over music" (Pinckney). William Boone who has conducted research in hip hop best explains the phenomenon of Hip Hop as, " Art in "the hood". Hip Hop is the antitheses of economic discrimination and social alienation in Americas impoverished African American communities" (Boone).These origins of ...
Black culture in our society has come to the point where it is allied with pop culture. The most popular music genres, slang terms, to dance forms it all comes from black culture. Hip hop emerged from black culture, becoming the soul of it that is seen in the media. Hip hop helped the black community by creating new ways of expressing themselves, from breakdance, graffiti, rap and other music, to slang. This culture was rooted in their tradition and created from something new. Hip hop created a new form of music that required the use of turn tables, ‘cuts’, loops, rhythm, rhyme, stories, and deep-rooted emotions, but also incorporated black oral forms of storytelling using communal authors.
Rap music and Hip-hop originally started as a movement to bring attention to black communities and people who faced racism, a belief system asserting that one race is inherently inferior to another. Subcultures in reason, point out the larger problems in culture, and the space between society's values and reality. For a society who longs for the "American Dream," believing that those who work hard will be rewarded with security and success, the reality longs that many people do indeed work hard yet remain in poverty with failure to access health care, affordable housing and good education. Hip-hop points out these inconsistencies and acknowledges the different statuses and its set of expected behaviours and expectations known as roles. Members of every subculture hold a designated status and multiple roles in society.