Redefining Blackness
During the twentieth century, black people began to redefine what ‘blackness’ was and what it meant to be ‘black’ by reconnecting with African history and culture. This was a period of reflection and reconstruction of the black consciousness, and although the twentieth century didn’t produce a solidified interpretation of ‘blackness,’ it created the groundwork necessary to form an identity that was independent of the racist notions instituted by slavery and/or other systems of oppression. As a result, black people across different ethnicities, customs, and nations began to view themselves as a collective group systematically terrorized by similar forces of oppression, as evidenced through various sociopolitical and cultural …show more content…
Blues music, as a byproduct of traditional African music and rhythm, breaks the European mold of regularity in pitch, time, timbre, and vibrato, and it is heavily influenced by African-American work songs, field hollers, and ‘shouts.’ Blues music literally looks to the past to reconnect and reinforce the connections between members of the African diaspora. It forges a connection between African descended peoples and their history through its implementation of elements of traditional African music. Furthermore, in its rejection of archetypal European standards of music, the Blues act as a unifying force within the African diaspora that is unique to African history, African music, and African people. Blues music acts as more than just a genre, as it embodies the desire of Afro-Diasporic peoples to forge an identity independent of the discriminatory connotations associated with being black, while also unifying and further connecting people of African descent. The Négritude movement functions as both a cultural and political movement, and it further personifies the longing to reconnect with Africa amongst Afro-Diasporic peoples. This is best represented …show more content…
The study of epigenetics can greatly contribute to redefining ‘blackness’ and grafting a greater understanding of the history of the African descended peoples. Epigenetics is the study of genotypes and coded genotypic messages that have been influenced by external and environmental factors. Epigenetics has the power to map out the movement of African descended peoples, and also uncover the overlooked consequences of colonialism, enslavement, and white supremacy on them and their descendants. This can help add to the history of the movement of African people, to understanding the shared history of the African diaspora, and it can further connections within the African diaspora. Genetic data can also track and find African-descended peoples ancestors’ ethnic origins through comparisons of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). African descended peoples, during times of oppression, were often stripped of their individual ethnic identities through the suppression of African culture and the forced assimilation of Euro-American culture. Igbos and
During the twentieth century, black people began to redefine what ‘blackness’ was and what it meant to be ‘black’ by reconnecting with African history and culture. This was a period of reflection and reconstruction of the black consciousness, and although the twentieth century didn’t produce a solidified interpretation of ‘blackness,’ it created the groundwork necessary to form an identity that was independent of the racist notions instituted by slavery and/or other systems of oppression. As a result, black people across different ethnicities, customs, and nations began to view themselves as a collective group systematically terrorized by similar forces of oppression, as evidenced through various sociopolitical and cultural …show more content…
Blues music, as a byproduct of traditional African music and rhythm, breaks the European mold of regularity in pitch, time, timbre, and vibrato, and it is heavily influenced by African-American work songs, field hollers, and ‘shouts.’ Blues music literally looks to the past to reconnect and reinforce the connections between members of the African diaspora. It forges a connection between African descended peoples and their history through its implementation of elements of traditional African music. Furthermore, in its rejection of archetypal European standards of music, the Blues act as a unifying force within the African diaspora that is unique to African history, African music, and African people. Blues music acts as more than just a genre, as it embodies the desire of Afro-Diasporic peoples to forge an identity independent of the discriminatory connotations associated with being black, while also unifying and further connecting people of African descent. The Négritude movement functions as both a cultural and political movement, and it further personifies the longing to reconnect with Africa amongst Afro-Diasporic peoples. This is best represented …show more content…
The study of epigenetics can greatly contribute to redefining ‘blackness’ and grafting a greater understanding of the history of the African descended peoples. Epigenetics is the study of genotypes and coded genotypic messages that have been influenced by external and environmental factors. Epigenetics has the power to map out the movement of African descended peoples, and also uncover the overlooked consequences of colonialism, enslavement, and white supremacy on them and their descendants. This can help add to the history of the movement of African people, to understanding the shared history of the African diaspora, and it can further connections within the African diaspora. Genetic data can also track and find African-descended peoples ancestors’ ethnic origins through comparisons of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). African descended peoples, during times of oppression, were often stripped of their individual ethnic identities through the suppression of African culture and the forced assimilation of Euro-American culture. Igbos and