Ethnicity and Identity Across the Atlantic Essay

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The Ideology of Tribalism

The chapter explores the historical background of the term “tribe” and tribalism as a whole in the context of Africa. Since it is a term imposed by the White historians, the attempt to generalize and identify the prevailing social structure of the African population has proven to be highly subjective (Mafeje, 2020). Nowadays, the African elite often utilize the concept of tribalism to maintain their superiority and exploit their tribesmen; thus, the history of tribes has to be thoroughly researched to avoid the exploitation of power.

The Ignominious Origins of Ethnic Pluralism in America

The reading describes the origins of American pluralism and how it contributed to the current issue of ethnic discrimination. Steinberg (1981) defines four stages of colonization of America: the settlement, the expansion, agricultural development, and industrial development. Starting from the settlement, predominantly British newcomers sought foreign labor to cultivate the country’s economic growth. Given that America has indeed been founded on the exploitation and differentiation between the immigrants and the alleged “owner” population, it is no surprise that these beliefs are still present in American society.

Decolonizing Sociology: Since Its Inception, Sociologists Have Unconsciously Practiced A White Sociology

The article argues that the sociology of the 20th century was blind to racism and failed to predict Blacks’ civil rights movements. As a product of the colonial and imperialistic society of the time, it ignored racial issues and focused on White dominance (Steinberg, 2016). However, the Black Lives Matter movement has shown that the sociological theory for contact, competition, accommodation, and assimilation has little relation to current racial relations. This discrepancy between the theory and practice shows that sociology is a White-dominant field that fails to address the racial issues adequately.

Groundings with My Brothers

In both chapters, the author explores how the Whites repress the Black identity of African Americans and proposes solutions to these structural limitations. Rodney (2019) cites the Cuban revolution and the change it brought to the perception of race. The more culture and accurate historical facts people know about their race, the more they flourish as a nation as opposed to attempting to portray them as inferior by the White dominance.

References

Mafeje, A. (2020). The ideology of tribalism. In J. Benjamin (Ed.), Race and Ethnicity: Difference and Decolonization (pp. 91-95). Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Rodney, W. (2019). Groundings with My Brothers. Verso Books.

Steinberg, S. (1981). The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in America. Beacon Press.

Steinberg, S. (2016). . Stanford University Press Blog.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'Ethnicity and Identity Across the Atlantic'. 19 February.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Ethnicity and Identity Across the Atlantic." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethnicity-and-identity-across-the-atlantic/.

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