African Diasporic Culture Across the World: Influences, Transformations and Interactions Essay

Introduction: African Diasporas Around the World

In the modern world, the process of culture fusion is no longer a miracle – due to immigration and emigration, cultures and national traits are mixed in the most unbelievable fashion, which leads to the development of completely new traditions.

However, it is important to keep in mind that it is not only the cultural backdrop of the new location that shapes the specifics of a certain diaspora, but also the attitudes which the local people shape towards the newcomers, as well as the political aspects of the given state.

Because of years of colonialism and racial capitalism, the African diasporic culture has shaped a rather vague idea of collective consciousness and deviated considerably from its racial identity.

Racial Capitalism and African Diasporic Culture: Against Prejudices

There is no doubt that retaining the national specifics in the atmosphere of a completely different culture and absolutely different traditions is incredibly hard. No matter how strong and solid the diaspora is, it has to take into account the ideas and principles of the country which the given diaspora is located in, which affects the recognition of the national identity.

Thus, even with all the integrity that the African diasporas have, they have been affected by the principles of the states which they were located in.

The given phenomenon presumably has had a negative effect on the African diasporas, according to Clarke and Thomas: “global capitalism and its development models are destroying cultural diversity and creating a monoculture,’ – they “identify ‘Americanization’ as solely imperialist and nonnegotiable” (Clarke and Thomas 346).

Still, it has to be admitted that the above-mentioned idea of the impact which capitalistic postulates have had on the culture in the African diasporas is rather radical; as Clarke and Thomas explain, capitalism had both the negative and the positive effect on the diasporas.

For instance, in Jamaican African diasporas, capitalism enhanced the promotion of the Black culture: “This emphasis on capitalism and consumerism has, more recently, been linked to the elevation of a racial identity” (Clarke and Thomas 348).

As an economic strategy which the African people are not quite familiar with, capitalism has offered the Western model of development with no regard as to the specifics of African culture whatsoever. At the same time, however, capitalism has opened a range of new opportunities for the African diasporas, which means that the latter can possibly make efficient use of some of the Western ideas.

Colonialism and African Diasporic Culture: The Question of Power

Knowing the true reasons behind immigration shape one’s personality a lot. There is no secret to anyone that the African population left the continent being enslaved. As a result, two adages pervade the collective consciousness of the older African Diasporas of transatlantic slavery and colonialism respectively: ‘We are here because you brought us here’ and ‘We are here because you were there’ (223).

However, it is worth mentioning that the given attitude, as Clarke and Thomas explain, are rather the features of the older members of diasporas, while the younger ones are less concerned about the colonialist issues.

It is essential to mention, though, that not all African diasporas were subdued to the impact of colonialism; some of the diasporas were located in the places where the colonial aspect was far not that obvious and left less tangible effect on shaping the African diasporic mood.

As Clarke and Thomas emphasize, “The Dominican dreamscape emphasized national autonomy in the face of dwindling Spanish colonialism, continuing Haitian economic and political dominance, and rising American imperialism” (59).

Thus, it can be considered that there are certain differences among the world African diasporas in term of colonial moods and the way in which the Africans responded to the colonial attitudes. In most cases, however, it was the impact of the dominating state that shaped the African immigrants and their attitude towards their own country and the state which they lived in.

African Diasporic Culture vs. the Western Culture: The Conflict That Never Dies

Speaking of the scale to which the other cultures affect the African diasporas, one must mention that for a group of people who are to live in a foreign country and follow its traditions and rules, the African people have actually managed to keep their ones quite successfully, at the same time fully integrating into the foreign community.

Despite the fact that the foreign culture has been dominating over the African communities for a considerable amount of time, there is still enough of national spirit among the members of diasporas; in certain cases, the Africans even managed to reinforce their cultural specific, as Clarke and Thomas claim: “a modern plantation economy, political and economic subordination to a centralized state, and a stable national identity (a “we” diametrically opposed to “them”)” (Clarke and Thomas 60) allowed to create more or less stable diaspora within the Dominican Republic.

However, the process of assimilation is irreversible, which means that, sooner or later, there will be little left of the African lifestyle among the members of the diasporas unless they become social reclusive. It seems that, to keep their integrity intact, African diasporas, like the diasporas of any other nations have to give up any attempts to become a part of the dominating culture.

Since both suggestions are practically impossible, a reasonable compromise can be suggested. While African diasporas retain their traditions and national values, they can accept some of the Western ideas in order to match the economical and financial development of the latter.

Conclusion: Across the Boundaries of Space and Time

Hence, it can be considered that the African diasporas should be given credit for at least trying to keep their national identity. However, it cannot be argued that, after years spent under the aegis of other states and cultures, it has developed several specific features which cannot be associated with the traditional African culture anymore.

On the one hand, constantly keeping in mind the question “Why we are here?”, the African diasporas were trying to retain their national identity; on the other hand, the impact of the Western culture is slowly taking its toll on the African diasporas.

In addition, the impact which capitalism has had on the national identity of the members of the African diasporas all over the world cannot be described as positive either; with the focus on what is more marketable than what is linked to the national identity more, the African diasporas are facing the threat of losing their national identities completely.

Rethinking their values and the outside influence, African diasporas can possibly retain their national culture and identity.

Works Cited

Clarke, K Maxine, and Deborah A. Thomas. Globalization and Race: Transformation in the Cultural Production of Blackness. Durham: Duke University Press. 2006. Print.