OSP: Paul Gilroy - Postcolonial theory and diasporic identity

 Paul Gilroy - blog tasks

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can access it online here using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

Gilroy suggests racial identities are historically created from colonialization, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism.

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

Gilroy suggests regarding the causes and history of racism that racism isn’t caused by race, racism causes race. Racism is not caused by the clash of two or more races – racism is not a natural phenomenon. Instead, Gilroy states that racial difference and racial identities are the product of racial oppression. Racial identities are caused by historical conflicts that have brought different groups into opposition.

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

Gilroy’s work focuses on the concept of the African diaspora. The term diaspora is taken from the Greek ‘dispersion’ meaning ‘scattering of seeds’. Diaspora means a scattering of people, from the original place to elsewhere. The classic diaspora is the position from which Gilroy develops his concepts of diaspora. The classic diaspora refers back to people who can go back to their roots their origins and familiarise themselves with their true selves. origin. As such, the further a group moves from the place of origin, the more their culture is diluted. Gilroy does not see diaspora as limited to national contexts in this way. He considers a transatlantic diasporic identity, where groups across the Atlantic share cultural practices – a “single, complex unit” of black cultural practitioners as a result of a shared history of oppression and slavery. Gilroy sees black identities as a product of movement – the African diasporic identity is based on ROUTES taken throughout history, and not the ROOTS of origin. 

For Gilroy, the Black Atlantic diaspora is irreversible because the experience of slavery irrevocably changed the diasporic identity. It cannot be ‘rewound’ to a state of cultural purity and cannot return to Africa as the place of origin has changed – the place of origin doesn’t exist as it did before diaspora.

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

Gilroy suggested what was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980's was that it was “external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation.” As such, to accept the role of slavery into the cultural identities of Britain would be to challenge the negative stereotype of black Britons at the time, and reverse the “external and estranged” relationship with the nation.

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

Some of the negative effects that Gilroy argues saying diaspora challenges national ideologies is that diasporic identities can also become trapped within a national ideology; diasporic cultural ideologies and practices exist within a national ideology based upon its social, economic and cultural integrations and as such there is a cultural difference with the diasporic identities. This difference becomes associated with minority groups and a cultural tension occurs. This tension between the national ideology and the diasporic ideologies helps to create the diasporic identity. Identities are created in both positive and negative ways. Positive ways of creating an identity could be in the participation and relationships individuals experience. On the other hand, negative experiences of exclusion, exposure to regressive ideologies and marginalisation will also create an identity which is then shared within the diasporic community and perhaps from the origin country.

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

Diasporic communities might use social media to connect to people of their own cultural identity such as following an influencer from the same background or ethnicity as them. This helps to build that sense of relationship between the influencer and person as people from that same ethnicity or race might be able to understand what the influencer is saying as they could be speaking in their mother language that might sound estranged or different to other people from different other background. 

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

Gilroy suggests slavery is important in diasporic identity as he argues the importance of slavery to modernity and capitalism. The modern world was built upon a normalised view of slavery, particularly plantation slavery. Slavery was only rejected when it was revealed as incompatible with enlightened rationality and capitalist production. Gilroy argues that the figure of the black slave of ‘the Negro’ provided enlightened thinkers and philosophers an insight into concepts of property rights, consciousness and art.

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

Double consciousness provides more ways of understanding the world, but it places a great strain on black Americans as they consistently feel they are looking at themselves through the eyes of others.

The media represents the idea of 'double consciousness' for black people in the US  through the dominant representations of black males, primarily in the US, is either a rapper, criminal or gang member, or an athlete.  This just shows that black people are not wanted in the US or even the UK as it is a similar situation for black people sadly over here. This shows that black people are almost being forced to go back to their origins and their home countries and are not wanted here even though they can not go back home to their origin country as well which creates that idea of 'double consciousnesses'.

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

This is a superb and such a brilliant example of how the representation of black American women were treated back during the set time period of when this film was set which was around the 1960 into the late 70's. This heavily tries to challenge 'double consciousness' as it shows in the film how their colour of their skin still does not affect them wanting to reach their goals and ambitions and not letting no one no white person get in their way. This film with its brilliant line of cast help to emphasise the case of 'double consciousness' and how it is still such a hug big thing even in todays modern day and yet how hard black people are fighting to have an equality and change and not be ruled over by white people and want to have the same honest decent lives as they are living without the feeling of being 'unwanted' or being treated like an 'outsider'.