Do We As African Americans Have A Culture?
 

Hello Sorors,
I wanted to get some of your opinions on this topic. Do you think that we as African Americans have a culture? The discussion was brought up in a social setting with my peers, and many of us had different views. My apologies if this subject has already been tackled.:)

I am going to edit your title if you don't mind.

Also, do you mean is there something specific to African Americans that defines us culturally?

I know Soror DST Chaos will chime in on this. :)

I would have to say...
 

No.

Hi Sorors and Sisterfriends. I do not post much, but enjoy the board when I have 2 secs free from my crazy job. Anywho...

No, I do not think African American's have much of a "cultural identity". Unfortunately most of what makes up our "cultural identity" is borrowed, learned, etc. from other cultures. The hodgepodge of food, speach, music, dance, dress that we have borrowed and learned has yet to be truly established as "our cultural identity", therefore just looks very "unauthentic" and "unoriginal" (ie. Swahili names, East African Cloth, West African jumping of the broom, Carribbean music etc.)

I recently attended the African American Day parade in NYC and was a bit uplifted that we do have a "cultural" identity somewhat, but most of it was very collegiate focused ie. Marching Bands, Sororities and Fraternities Strolled, Elected Officials" and didnt quite encompass all or most African American people.

Yes.

We are not defined by our common skin colors, hair textures, body types, and facial features alone.

People who don't think that Blacks/African Americans don't have a culture or cultural identity have not studied our history, American history, or observed very much of their social world. It's as clear as day. The failure to acknowledge and understand our culture is the real problem. So people who deny that we have a culture are a big part of the problem because they are contributing to the sense of anomie, confusion, and diluting that has ailed our communities for decades.

We are a mixed people. Our identity is both borrowed and original. We are not the only group of people who have taken things from our ancestors and more immediate backgrounds, made it our own and added to it.

There is no such thing as an "authentic" or "original" group of people. It all came from somewhere and it usually didn't come from the group who's most known for it.

What does this mean? Our "fun activities" aren't what constitute cultural identity. But even those "fun activities" have rich African Diasporic roots that include but are not limited to the traditions established in North America. So the foundation of what you witnessed at that parade can be found in most African American communities.

You rannnnnnnng? :)

I knew this would be right up your sociological alley. :D:cool:

I strongly disagree with this statement. In fact, I feel that it is the other way around. Other cultures tend to borrow / steal from us. Elvis Presley only became famous because he copied the moves and sounds of popular Black American R&B singers and gropus of his day.

There was a time in this country where anything associated with being a Black American was strongly banned. Our music was considered 'jungle-bunny' music, but young White kids still liked it. So, to make it 'okay' to listen to our music, Elvis was 'invented'. He was a 'safe' alternative for White kids of the 50's and 60's.

Please keep in mind that the African continent is composed of very diverse countries and ethnic gropus. When our ancestors were brought over here, any cultural identity that our ancsetors had was beaten out of us, literally and figuratively. So, over the centuries what ever cultural identity the ancestors had has been removed and diluted.

So, while its nice to have an African American Day parade, it is about as significant as having a European American Day parade. Europe is composed of many diverse cultures and languages that trying to combine them all in one neat package can become rather daunting.

Not sure if I agree
 

I would tend to disagree with you. There are definitely "original" people and original cultures in certain areas. The Native Americans are the "original" people of this hemisphere. Their cultural identity today is mixed as well because of the infusion of White America later, however they certainly have cultural aspects, religious, foods that are their own. Not borrowed. And even the cultural aspects that are borrowed in certain cultures were borrowed waaay more than 300 years ago..so it has been INFUSED as their culture..stolen or not. Many cultures have thousands of years of history.

I think its an unfortunate predicament of people who's identity has been stolen because of slavery, oppression etc.-therefore everything that makes up their identity is borrowed somewhat from SOOO many different cultures that the mix is often NOT embraced by the masses. And as I said earlier, this happened so recently (in a sociological sense) that it is not suprising to me that we do not have a firm "cultural" identity. I am sure in 500 years there will be one, that is formed of the borrowed culture, language, food, ideas, colors etc. but has become our own. right now, i dont think we are there yet.

This is exactly what I mean. I think because we have lost our identity through the diaspora, we as African Americans (today's black American in America) lack a "cultural" identity. I think it will take hundreds of years to pick, and choose, and participate, and borrow, and influence to finally have an "identity" of our own. I think music is the start...jazz, r&b, hip hop...but we have a ways to go to have an established "cultural identity" because we were robbed of it.

Basic definitions of culture used by any sociologist or anthropologist, though not 100% agreed upon, would never include a requirement of ancientness or "originality" (remember, ALL human life started in one part of the world and expanded outward). Saying that ours doesn't "count" as a culture yet because it is not established enough is to infer standards that are totally arbitrary. Talking about culture is only useful when understood as something people can attest to experiencing, and I can attest to experiencing Black culture, HBCU culture, hip-hop culture, American culture, New York City culture, etc. No scholar worth his or her salt is going to tell me I cannot.

Okay I see your point but I think you should define what *you* mean by cultural identity. Do you think Black Americans lack a cultural identity because we do not talk of a common motherland, as many Italian Americans would? Is it becase we don't speak a common language like many Hispanics? Is it because we are not known for a particular food dish from our country of origin like the French? Or have a particular type of script like the Japanese?

Why do you think what Black Americans have as an identity today does not constitute a cultural identity? Yes, we were robbed of our original cultural ties, but during the procsess of our ancestors being in this country we have created new ones. What's wrong with that? Jazz has been recognized as an original music form created in the US, by Black Americans.

Let me ask you this, when growing up, did you play with White dolls or Black ones? Who do you identify with more?

Like DSTChaos and laylo said, folks really need to KNOW their history before emphatically saying that those of Afrikan descent stuck in the wilderness of Amerikkklan have no such thing as a culture or Asili or a cultural identity with epistemology of utamawazo...

If anything, by genetic evidence alone, all other cultures borrowed ours...

I think that we do have a culture. Now if the question was do we have strong ties to our culture the answer would be no. Not everyone embraces their culture by attending cultural events on the matter, reading books, researching for yourself, or just sitting down with older members of your family. I think many people are too busy trying to blend into what America wants us to believe and we are loosing the closeness that was once our proudest attribute to boast. We used to be there for one another. We aren't anymore; unless it's to bring eachother down.

You say this because you don't know where the Native Americans derived some aspects of their culture from.

Both Native Americans and black Americans developed cultural tools through adaptation.

Black Americans had borrowed some aspects of our culture 200 years ago. Ever read about the activities of the slaves and free blacks during the Slave Era? These things have become infused as our culture...stolen or not. We would have thousands of years of history if we had not been sold from our native lands.


Well, in a sociological sense it wasn't that recent and we do have a firm cultural identity. What we are looking at is the remnants of slavery and oppression, in addition to present-day social constructs. However our identity as black people is not that of an oppressed people. We have so much history and tradition outside of being enslaved and oppressed that we sell ourselves short by denying it. What happened/s to us makes us stronger and adds to our identity--it doesn't take it away or is the sole definer of us.

No need to wait 500 years. It's here now so people need to stop denying us what other groups have been afforded.