Paul Gilroy - blog tasks

 Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

He has consistently argued that racial identities are historically constructed – formed by colonialization,

slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism.

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

Here Gilroy is saying 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.

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 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

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

At the time, the dominant representation of black Britons was as external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation.

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

However, 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.

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.

One way they stay connected to their cultural identity is through digital media such as the voice as this was originally the only British national black weekly newspaper operating in the United Kingdom allowing the black community to stay connected to their cultural identity

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

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.

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

It places a great strain on black Americans as they consistently feel they are looking at themselves through the eyes of others; there is a ‘two-ness’ within the identity of the black American which is unreconciled.

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.

The trailer attempts to challenge double consciousness as it highlight their struggle for recognition and equality but also celebrating their achievements and resilience in a predominantly white male field. This disrupts the negative representation of black women and emphasises their intelligence and skills