Paul Gilroy's ethnicity and post colonial theory Flashcards
Who is Paul Gilroy?
(1956-)
He is a British academic and cultural studies theorist who has written on issues regarding black British identity and the effects of colonialism on contemporary attitudes towards race and ethnicity
What is Gilroy’s main argument?
the Western media still promotes and maintains colonial attitudes in regards to race. He proposes that the hegemonic perception of non-white cultures is affected by the history of European colonialism
What is colonialism?
The practice of European states invading foreign territories, displacing or enslaving natives and profiting from the natural resources of these territories
The period of European colonialization began with the exploration of North America by explorers such as Columbus
It ended with the outbreak of WW1, which led to the dismantling of many European empires
At it’s peak, the British Empire was the largest colonial empire in the world- its dominions included Canada, Australia and India
How have the colonial times affected attitudes towards race today?
Racist attitudes from colonial times have trickled down through history to shape the racial tensions that still exist in Britain and America today
What is a double consciousness?
It describes the internal conflict experienced by black people who must live in an oppressive or prejudice overwhelmingly white society. These people are unable to identify themselves as belonging to the country they live in or to the country from which they carry a heritage. As a result, they are forced to see themselves through the eyes of a society that views them as inferior before they can view themselves as a citizen
What is diaspora?
A mass group that are involuntarily dispersed from their homeland.
Diasporic populations often feel that their cultural identity is disconnected, that they don’t belong in their their home country or their country of heritage.
What is civilisationism?
A term coined by Gilroy for a prejudice ideology that establishes clear binary opposites between societies and races that are civilized and those that are uncivilized. According to Gilroy, this ideology will always create racial hierarchies in which civilized societies are considered as more advanced and sophisticated. Furthermore, geopolitical relations will continue to function in a way that considers the differences of cultures as opposed to the similarities.
What does Paul Gilroy say about civilisationism in the mass media?
Much of the modern mass media is still constructed in a way that allows the continued existence of colonial discourses - a culture of civilisationism is still apparent.
Black culture is still portrayed as ‘niche’ or secondary, whereas Western culture is depicted as the norm or mainstream.
What does Gilroy identify in his book Black Atlantic?
He explore the idea that modern black identity and ideas of black culture were formed in the slave trade.
Rather than seeing Black Americans or Black British, he identifies a shared identity of Black Atlantic that transcends simple notions of ethnicity.
