Americans of African identity

Wilkinson, Doris Y.

doi:10.1007/bf02698669

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…At the beginning the term was especially favored by militants for precisely that reason (Carmichael & Hamilton, 1967;Wilkinson, 1990). The juxtaposition in extremis between Black and White served to form a mutual vision of homogeneity within each group and immutable differences between them.…”

Section: Cognitive Filtersmentioning

confidence: 98%

“African American” as a new Social Representation

Philogène¹

1994

J Theory Soc Behav

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The use of African American as a new denomination for a group previously referred to as Black has rapidly become standard practice in American society. This paper analyzes how the introduction ofAfrican American in our ordinary language marks the elaboration of a new social reality. As the concept becomes part of our social life, it is transformed into a real "phenomenon" ofsocial representation that formalizes behaviour and orients communication. Such a transformation requires that the new term infiltrates people's everyday lives sufficiently to concretize it into a common reality. The analysis presented here outlines three key processes in the emergence and formation of the social representation of African American. The first one is anchoring which familiarizes the new object by linking it with preexisting categories in our minds. The second process is objertijcation which assures the crystallization ofthe object. A figurative core is created to allow the projection of images. At this point people can talk about the object, and through communication the object takes on meaning. This naturaliZation is the third process to conclude the transformation ofthe object into a social reality. These steps have allowed African American to become the carrier for a modification of cognitions and broadening of attitudes concerning the group.

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Section: Cognitive Filtersmentioning

confidence: 98%

“African American” as a new Social Representation

Philogène¹

1994

J Theory Soc Behav

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“…In addition, it was especially popular among academics. Many scholarly publications adopted the term and numerous research programs in "Afro-American Studies" were founded (Thernstrom 1980(Thernstrom , 1989Wilkinson 1990). But the term never caught on among the general population.…”

Section: "Negro" To "Black"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surveys of Blacks from 1969 to 1982 showed 10 percent or fewer favoring the term (table 2). Eventually the "Afro" prefix became largely associated with the Afro hairstyle (Allen 1990;Newsweek 1989;Wilkinson 1990). …”

Section: "Negro" To "Black"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…"Black" was largely considered inadequate because it did not emphasize the cultural origins of Blacks. In addition, it was criticized as a label "originally assigned, recorded, and perpetuated by slave holders" (Wilkinson 1990). Also, as Vemon Jarrett (1988) has observed, "Black" over the last generation has been saddled with "a dismal connotation."…”

Section: /1989 =» Abc/'washington Postmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, many African cultures such as Arab, Berber, and Coptic were unrelated to the sub-Saharan cultures to which Blacks trace their heritage (Miller 1937;Wilkinson 1990;Williams 1990). Others asserted that "African American" calls for identification with a culture to which almost no actual ties exist (Butler 1990;Negro History Bulletin 1971;Williams 1990).…”

Section: /1989 =» Abc/'washington Postmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changing Racial Labels: From "Colored" to "Negro" to "Black" to "African American"

Smith

1992

Public Opinion Quarterly

100

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Labels play an important role in defining groups and individuals who belong to the groups. This has been especially true for racial and ethnic groups in general and for Blacks in particular. Over the past century the standard term for Blacks has shifted from "Colored" to "Negro" to "Black" and now perhaps to "African American." The changes can be seen as attempts by Blacks to redefine themselves and to gain respect and standing in a society that has held them to be subordinate and inferior.

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