Diaspora

transformation of thought and requires awareness. These transformations are categorized as: skin recognition, environmental recognition, personality awareness, interest concern, and Afrocentric awareness. Every single person of African descent in the diaspora is in one of these stages. Many of my examples of these stages will come from my personal experience and growth. The first level of transformation is skin recognition. At this level, the individual knows that they are black, but does not…

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…

Andrew Lam’s book, Perfume Dreams: Reflection on the Vietnamese Diaspora, is a collection of personal essays that documents Lam’s quest and struggle in finding the right identity as a Vietnamese American. At the age of 11, Lam fled with his family to America, during the ending years of the Vietnam War, as war refugees. This sudden exposure to a new environment, tore Lam’s past perception of who he was , created the identity dilemma that Lam struggled through his lifetime. Throughout the book,…

promote discourse on African culture. There, I have no doubt that I will find subjects for narrative anlysis and interesting things to photograph embodying the African Diaspora in Europe. My trip to Poland will last ten days. While I am not certain of the other attractions and events that may occur that celebrate the African Diaspora there, I feel that I will form meaningful connections with youths who can direct me to the…

the rise of state-sponsored terrorism could stamp out their creativity and scientific genius” (Gomez 2005, 183). While many things have been taken from black people, they can’t and won’t be stripped of their happiness and creativity. Throughout the Diaspora blacks have been faced with enduring the struggles of colonialism, which became the symbol for white supremacy and cultural oppression. European countries scrambled to divide Africa while exploiting the continent’s resources and their people.…

before branches" means to you. What do you think this slogan represents? How does it apply to African American and African studies? What is its significance in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement? How does it connect with the global African diaspora? Do you think the slogan is meaningful? Why or why not? When I think about slogan “roots before branches” I think of it as a term that is representative of a tree. Trees have been noted to symbolize strength, beauty, and wisdom. These are…

“La Haine” explores the themes of how cultural diaspora would affect the shape of identity. Identity reflects how the ever-changing society would affect an individual’s development, and it would never be completely set in stone. Director Mathieu Kassovitz sets out to capture how the remains of the empire is still apparent in societies with prominent cultural diaspora. Even today, it is being talked about, when it comes to the presence of the migrants. According to Paul A. Silverstein and…

blood in human veins.” Hughes conception of the black experience and rich ancient existence in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” can be analyzed through Stuart Hall’s second definition of cultural identity presented in his essay “Cultural Identity and Diaspora”. Stuart Hall defines cultural identity in two ways. The first is an essentialist identity, which focuses on the…

Radhakrishnan, 121). A contested concept brought to light in R. Radhakrishnan’s exploration of ethnicity in an age of diaspora. The query itself implies a rigid dichotomy between ethnicity and nationality; it probes the reader to wonder whether these concepts belong in conjunction with one another or merit opposing entities of their own. In R. Radhakrishnan’s dissertation, Ethnicity in an Age of Diaspora, he asserts that migrants of different generations undergo different experiences, thus…

will discuss the racial demographic makeup, history (as it concerns to race and immigrants), immigration policies, and professed cultural ideologies of America, Canada, and Italy in an attempt to explain identity formation in members of the African diaspora living in these countries. Where applicable, I will explain variations that may have particularly strong effects on identity formation (e.g. the especially strong transnational communities common to Eritreans refugees and Senegalese Murids).…