African American Study Terms - Assignment Example

Paper [Department Mis-Education: The mis-education of theNegro is a book that was authored by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The core idea of the book was that African Americans of Dr. Woodson’s era were not being taught in American schools but were being conditioned and indoctrinated. He claimed that this caused them to become dependent and not seek greater things for themselves Authenticity Black Studies Black studies is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to the study of the history, politics and culture of Black Americans. If taken in a broader context, it also studies the culture of the entire African diaspora. Sankofa/Recovery Sankofa is a word in the Akan language which is common in Ghana. It translates as “reach back and take it”. It is represented either by a bird with its head turned back or in the shape of a stylized heart. Its often associated with the saying that it’s not wrong to go back and reclaim what you have forgotten. Erasure Erasure is a novel by Percival Everett about race and writing. The novel’s plot is about how the publishing industry is biased towards African- American writers and at times criticizes them for not writing ‘black enough’. Booker T. Washington Booker T Washington was an African American educator and advisor to the presidents of the United States. He was also a very dominant leader in the African American community between 1890 and 1915. He was the leading voice of former slaves and focused on long term educational and economic advancement of the black community in general. Black Power Black power is a slogan with political connotations and is a name for various ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination for African Americans. New Negro Renaissance New Negro is a term that became popular during the Harlem renaissance which called for a more outspoken advocacy of dignity and refusal to submit to the laws of Jim Crow racial segregation. The tern New Negro was coined by Alain LeRoy Locke. African Diaspora The African diaspora refers to communities that have descended from the movement of people from Africa to the Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East and other areas around the world. Educated Negro/Blacks Good Hair African American hair is generally thick with tighter curls than people of other races. This has caused many unique hair styles to be associated with African American culture. Black/Blackness Blackness may refer how strongly a thing is associated with African American culture. Great Migration The great migration was an event which saw the migration of 6 million African Americans out of rural Southern United States to the many parts of the United States which included the Northeast, Midwest and the West. It occurred between 1910 and 1970. Black Church A black church refers to Christian churches that minister to African American congregations. After slavery was abolished, the black community continued to have separate church facilities and worship in their culturally different ways. Their ways of worshipping creolized African spiritual traditions. Race Race is a social construct which refers to a group of people who have similar and distinct physical characteristics. These differences in biological traits are usually deemed by society to be socially significant. An example of this would be how eye color, despite being a biological difference, is not socially significant but skin color is. Black Consciousness The Black consciousness movement was an anti-apartheid movement that arose in South Africa in the mid 1960s. It represented a social movement for political consciousness. This movement attacked traditional white values and the condescending white liberal opinion. It rejected white monopoly and called for greater cohesiveness and unity amongst black groups in general. Jim Crow Jim Crow laws were racial segregation laws enacted in the Southern United States. Its aim was to ensure a separate but equal status for African Americans in all public facilities in southern US states. But conditions were inferior and poorer compared to those provided to their white counter parts. Soul Food The term Soul Food became prevalent in the 60s and refers to a variety of cooking popular in black culture. It is related to the cuisine of Southern United States but includes foods such as rice, sorghum and okra which were common elements of West African cuisine. Oral Tradition Oral tradition is a method of transmitting cultural material verbally from one group to another. The messages are verbally transmitted in the form of a speech, song, folktale, saying, ballads, songs or even chants. It is possible to transmit oral history and other knowledge across generation without any written record. Middle Passage The middle passage referred to the slave trade in which millions of Africans were often kidnapped and shipped to the New World. Ships departed Europe for African markets with goods which were traded for Africans. These Africans were transported across the Atlantic as slaves and sold or traded. Creolization/Syncretization Creolization used to refer to the Caribbean. The mixing of people brought a cultural mixing which led to the formation of new identities. Creolization is the mixing of the old and the traditional with the new and the modern. Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey was a supporter of the Black Nationalist and Pan Africanism movements. He also inspired the Nation of Islam and Rastafarian movement. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities league. He also advanced a Pan African philosophy known as Garveyism. Madame CJ Walker Madam CJ Walker was known for being the first African American woman to become a self made millionaire. She created specialized hair products for African American hair. She promoted her products by travelling around the country and giving demonstrations. She donated the largest amount of money by a black woman towards the construction of an Indianapolis YMCA in 1913 Chitlin Circuit The Chitlin circuit refers to the performance venues located in eastern, upper mid west and western areas of the United States where it was safe for African American performers to perform during the age of racial serration. WEB DuBois W. E. B Du Bois was an important African American activist. He supported Pan Africanism and became the first African American to earn a Ph.D from Harvard University. He wrote extensively and acted as a spokesperson for the African American rights during the early 20th century. The Personal Is Political The personal is political is a political rallying slogan that refers to the connection between personal experiences and the larger social and political structures. Double Consciousness Double consciousness in an African American context refers to the psychological challenge of reconciling an African tradition with a European upbringing in slavery and education. Afrocentricity Afrocentricity is a cultural ideology that is dedicated to the history of African Americans. It resulted as a response to racist attitudes about African people. Afrocentricity is about achieving African agency and is a Pan African philosophy in terms of culture. Black Venus Sarah Bartmaan or Black Venus was a slave woman who was taken to Europe and forced to stand naked in streets and circuses. She amused passersby who had a hard time believing that people like her were actually human. Politics of Respectability The politics of respectability refers to attempts by African Americans to show how their social values are compatible with mainstream values. It was a deliberate attempt to set aside cultural and moral practices that were thought to be looked down upon by the wider society. Read More