BY STUDENT
In class we
talk mostly about the segregation and the mistreatment of minority groups in
U.S. cities. However, since I hope to find myself studying abroad in Cape Town,
South Africa next semester I would like to talk about how the treatment of
blacks in South Africa during colonization has affected how Africans identify
themselves today versus how blacks in America classify themselves. The question
that I ultimately wish to answer is: how is white treatment of Africans in
South Africa similar and different to attitudes toward African Americans in the
U.S. and how has this affected their sense of self?
Colonization
of South Africa began when the Dutch East Company funded the exploration of a
ship in the hopes of setting up a post to benefit the ships on the Eastern
trade route. Jan van Riebeeck and his 90 men landed at the Cape of Good Hope in
1652. However it wasn’t until the mid 1800s that white
settlement took over most of what today is South Africa, causing the indigenous
peoples to lose their independence to white colonizers. Many African tribes
resisted European force, but in the end they lost the battle. Consequently, black
Africans were taken from their homes and sold on the Atlantic slave trade where
most were brought to America to work as slaves on plantations. It is clear that
African’s were not treated fairly by European colonizers. They were packed onto
ships like animals and sent to a foreign land where they were again treated
like animals. This is one similarity between how blacks were treated in Africa
and in the US. The Condemnation of Blackness by Khalil Gibran Muhammad goes
into depth about the treatment of African Americans throughout American
history. As the title suggests, the book talks about how African Americans were
associated with criminology to reinforce their inferiority to whites. African
Americans for centuries were condemned to being the scapegoat for all of white
plight and crime. But how has this affected blacks attitudes today.
One journal makes a good
point by stating that today President Obama identifies himself as an
African-American. He takes pride in being an American citizen, yet still
identifies with his African culture whereas the journal also states that
Africans living in South Africa choose to identify with their oppressors. South
African’s desire to adopt the culture, language, and religion of their European
capturers differs greatly from African Americans’ desire to stand out from
white Americans and to identify as their own entity. But what accounts for
these different approached to self-identification? It could be that European
rule in Cape Town began peacefully and only later grew violent. It could also
be in part that many South Africans felt betrayed by their rulers who sold them
to the Europeans as slaves against their will. Who would continue to be
faithful to a leader after watching family and friends be deceived by said
leader, someone that they trusted? But then we have to think about why blacks
in American still perceive themselves as their own entity. Personally, I don’t
blame African Americans for wanting their own identity in the U.S. For
centuries and even today, segregation and racism still exist. Why would anybody
want to link themselves with a group of people that doesn’t want them? In class
we have mentioned time and time again how badly whites have treated blacks.
Even today prejudice is still predominant. For example, Long Island where I
have lived my entire life is one of the most segregated places in the country.
Although I am not prejudice towards any race, it is evident in my school where
the African American population is almost non-existent. During my transition to
Albany, I have noticed that many African Americans tend to form groups
together, excluding whites. I have concluded that this is because they feel
threatened by the lingering hostility of whites. Therefore supporting my theory
that African Americans in the US tend to identify with other African Americans
for a sense of security. Opposed to Africans in South Africa that are happy to
leave their old identities behind to blend into a new one.
Muhammad , Khalil Gibran. The
Condemnation of Blackness. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University
Press, 2010.
The , Economist . "Race in
South Africa: Still an Issue." Mixed-race citizens remain uneasy about
black rule. . http://www.economist.com/node/21546062 (accessed October 7,
2013).
REDDICK, TRACIE. African vs.
African-American A shared complexion does not guarantee racila solidarity..
working paper., Yale University, 1998.
http://www.library.yale.edu/~fboateng/akata.htm.
The most fascinating idea when comparing African Americans to blacks in South Africa is the inconsistency in their willingness to assimilate. In the case of white colonization, black groups face a trade-off between the desire to assimilate, or gain acceptance through blending in, and the desire to uphold and celebrate their cultural differences. Based on what I have read, it seems as though African Americans such as Obama feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in representing their race because their success conveys that not only can blacks function in a predominately white society, but they can serve the country in unique and irreplaceable ways, thus proving that minority groups are needed and celebrated. Perhaps South Africa does not experience this celebration of blackness because they have not yet reached the point where society accepts the black identity as a beneficial, irreplaceable contribution.
ReplyDeleteI find it curious how the South African's have a desire to assimilate with white culture. Like you said, why would they want to be like their oppressors? I wonder if fear plays any role in that desire. Perhaps there is fear in the culture, that if they do not become like their oppressors, they will be oppressed again. Slavery and the slave trade was a disgusting part of history, and even though civilized man will never go back to those ways, maybe this assimilation is an unconscious effort to "stay on good terms" with the European presence in South Africa so there is less difference in the two cultures. I would also think that South African's have much less freedom and choices as African Americans, which clearly influences the choices they make and how their culture progresses.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic that you've brought up. It seems like there is much more to it and it deserves a lot further research. I have met some people who others would consider "black" who resist the title of "African-American" because they don't want to be exclusively associated with others in the group or because they resent not being called "Caribbean American" or "Haitian American" or something more representative of their true identity. I would be curious to see what South Africans say is there reason for assimilating to white culture, when the same betrayal and cruelty that African Americans faced happened to them. I would guess this is less because of their admiration for their oppressors and more about safety.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting what Sarah brings up about people like Obama who tend to represent the pride associated with being a "success story." Do less prideful African Americans resent this American pride because it's like forgetting the horrible past they had to endure at the hands of whites? I have heard some black Americans say that people who speak and act "white" are sell outs. Others resent this notion that suggests that only whites can be leaders and professionals. African Americans should be able to retain culture and also not be considered trying to appeal to whiteness as they attain upward mobility.
It's also difficult for African Americans to retain culture when it is often made synonymous with negative stereotypes. Also, Americans would probably be less inclined to vote for President Obama if he were to dress in traditional African clothing or have an accent. Americans tend to want their leaders and professionals to be distinctly American and often very wealthy and very well educated. Maybe this is the kind of pressure that South Africans feel that makes them more apt to assimilate.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with this author's argument on African Americans sticking together as a form of security. I too grew up on Long Island, however my school was very diverse. Yet, African Americans still stuck together forming a group that excluded whites. Furthermore, it included a different type of ethnic group, Latino Americans. Perhaps this acceptance of Latinos into the African American group can be explained by the similarities in oppression suffered by both groups. Perhaps the two groups uniting add to the embracement of their identities. Either way, it is noticeable that most African Americans embrace their old identities.
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that South Africans so willingly leave their old identities behind and form a new identity in order to assimilate into a new one. What forces are driving this assimilation?
The distinction between African American and African reminds me a lot of the debate we continue to have in class about the usage of Hispanic and Latino by different scholars and how people refer to themselves. I think that African-American does in some ways blanket the culture and ideas we have, for instance someone could be from any African country with completely distinct customs and the term "African-American" sort of stomps out that individuality much like the terms Hispanic and Latino do. We also discuss how the term Hispanic is used to ameliorate one's social status and denote a certain characteristic of "whiteness" that is incredibly valuable to a lot of people from South America. I would believe that classifying oneself as African-American rather than ones' specific racial or ethnic classification would be a way to "Americanize" oneself and try to assimilate to American culture in order to fit in better. I think people should try and be more cognizant of this abandonment of identity in order to fit in with society, and how as Americans we influence this behavior by listing terms like Hispanic and African-American as the only options for people of a particular background to choose on documents like the Census.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting to learn something about the continent where the African American population originally came from. I agree with your note that nowadays segregation and racism still exists, and I hate it. Between elementary school and high school, I moved to the other side of the Netherlands. Even though the Netherlands so small that you can barely see it on the map of the world, is known as a multicultural country. However, in both my elementary school and my high school, I only had one or two black people in my class. Like at your school, the black population was almost non-existent.
ReplyDeleteWhen I came here I also noticed that African American people form groups together. However, I do not agree with your conclusion that this is because they ''they feel threatened by the lingering hostility of whites''. Maybe these people have experienced hostility from whites, but I think that the grouping merely has to do with people from a certain background finding friends from the same background. I also see many people with an Asian background forming groups with other Asians. This grouping even counts for me: most of my friends here at UAlbany are from Europe. It is not that I do not like hanging out with Americans - the contrary, I really do! But the European culture and the American culture are very different, and even the people behave differently. Therefore, it was easier for me to find European friends.
So I think that it could be a possibility that African Americans feel threatened by whites, but I also think that other reasons might have a part in the grouping of African Americans. I would be very interested in reading a study about it.
Merel Hermans
One will always form groups with people just like them for a sense of security. Racial segregation, though banned in years passed, is still very prevalent in todays society, even around UAlbany as you have mentioned. I don't think that African Americans feel threatened by whites, as much as they just want to be with people of their own race. There are not many racially intertwined groups of people around campus that you can observe. Most races stick to themselves, and the campus, I feel, is very segregated. This is again because people feel most comfortable with people that are just like them, not because they feel threatened by the hostility of whites. In no way are me and my friends hostile to the many other cultures around campus, and honestly they shouldn't feel that way if they do. Also I understand why blacks in America want to be set aside as their own race, African, instead of just saying they are American. Why wouldn't someone want to be set aside from the rest of the society based off of their race? I even identify myself as an Italian-American and I do not want to be mixed into the 'Caucasian' category of which I am placed into.
ReplyDelete