Monday, April 11, 2005
Neo-Nationalism
A Nation Within A Nation – II
“It’s nation time!!!” was the rallying cry of the Black Power Era. Some blame the demise of this movement on the U. S. government’s COINTELPRO initiative or the capitalist awakening of Black America, among other rationales afloat. Thinking globally, however, I position African Americans as already constituting a nation based on our population size, literacy rate, and economic empowerment. The only impediment is our acceptance of this status. A number of misconceptions unfortunately hinder our development of an indispensable national identity. These misconceptions hinge on our definition of nationalism as it relates to ideas of separatism, cultural nationalism, and now post-nationalism.
For many African Americans, nationalism is synonymous with Black separatism. This position is considered a radical one. Many associate it with the politics and religion of the Nation of Islam and the rhetoric long espoused by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan. Others revere it due to the intellect Malcolm X imposed when he expressed: “The black masses don’t want segregation nor do we want integration, What we want is complete separation…the only intelligent and lasting solution to the present race problem.” However, the masses of African Americans never gravitated toward this position.
The same can be said for cultural nationalism of the 1960s. These nationalists tended to look to Mother Africa for cultural awareness. They customarily appropriated African-derived names, garb, and languages. Even today, cultural nationalists inform our artistic community as hand drummers, dancers, and storytellers. Others operate as entrepreneurs importing African artifacts, owning Black bookstores as well as restaurants and other businesses. Yet typically in our popular culture and films, including those of Spike Lee, representatives of this political ideology are portrayed as buffoons. Cultural nationalists are now being inscribed as laughingstocks and far removed from the political agenda of most African Americans.
What often goes unsaid is a general uneasiness about the degree of romantic nationalism these ideologies engage. To locate a glorious past, the tendency is to speak of the grandeur of so-called “high civilizations” such as ancient Egypt, Mali, and Songhai. The other inclination is to idealize African societies without differentiation, as being pastoral paradises prior to the slave trade and colonialism. The foundation of nationalist thought is the impetus to create cultural unity. However, the danger is to emerge as fascists—in light of Hitler’s Germany. African American nationalists often exhibit greater interest in purging others based on race, class, sexual orientation and so on than in attacking the source of our oppression.
These days, to speak about a ‘nation within a nation,’ one also must contend with those who assume a post-nationalist perspective. Individuals with this perspective judge any discussion of nationalism as passé. Therefore, they look down on nationalist sentiments as being misinformed, projecting a “purity” of race, ethnicity, or culture. Of course, it is suspect that this stance arises in conjunction with the spread of global capitalism, even as the U. S. perpetrates its war in Iraq.
With my proposition, I seek to raise the bar by not playing the usual identity politics game. African Americans long recognized ‘race’ as an artificial construction imposed within a Western cultural hegemony. This comprehension is why, in our oral tradition, we relayed its absurdity. In the past, ‘the race card’ represented the only game in town. Our spokespeople had no recourse but to deal this card to sit at the table to raise the ante, but always seeking racial influence, not power. I contend that, once again, the table’s been turned; and it is time for us to seek self-determination by constructing a new game on a new playing surface.
Developing a national identity is distinct from a racial one. The problem is not thinking nationalistic, but the choices people have historically made in its behalf. Identities are shaped by our reference group orientation. Some of us identify with hip-hop culture. Others identify as being Christians, etc. We perform our personal identities everyday. Theoretically speaking, nations are ‘imagined communities.’ We only need to put our imaginations to work for greater empowerment.
“It’s nation time!!!” was the rallying cry of the Black Power Era. Some blame the demise of this movement on the U. S. government’s COINTELPRO initiative or the capitalist awakening of Black America, among other rationales afloat. Thinking globally, however, I position African Americans as already constituting a nation based on our population size, literacy rate, and economic empowerment. The only impediment is our acceptance of this status. A number of misconceptions unfortunately hinder our development of an indispensable national identity. These misconceptions hinge on our definition of nationalism as it relates to ideas of separatism, cultural nationalism, and now post-nationalism.
For many African Americans, nationalism is synonymous with Black separatism. This position is considered a radical one. Many associate it with the politics and religion of the Nation of Islam and the rhetoric long espoused by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan. Others revere it due to the intellect Malcolm X imposed when he expressed: “The black masses don’t want segregation nor do we want integration, What we want is complete separation…the only intelligent and lasting solution to the present race problem.” However, the masses of African Americans never gravitated toward this position.
The same can be said for cultural nationalism of the 1960s. These nationalists tended to look to Mother Africa for cultural awareness. They customarily appropriated African-derived names, garb, and languages. Even today, cultural nationalists inform our artistic community as hand drummers, dancers, and storytellers. Others operate as entrepreneurs importing African artifacts, owning Black bookstores as well as restaurants and other businesses. Yet typically in our popular culture and films, including those of Spike Lee, representatives of this political ideology are portrayed as buffoons. Cultural nationalists are now being inscribed as laughingstocks and far removed from the political agenda of most African Americans.
What often goes unsaid is a general uneasiness about the degree of romantic nationalism these ideologies engage. To locate a glorious past, the tendency is to speak of the grandeur of so-called “high civilizations” such as ancient Egypt, Mali, and Songhai. The other inclination is to idealize African societies without differentiation, as being pastoral paradises prior to the slave trade and colonialism. The foundation of nationalist thought is the impetus to create cultural unity. However, the danger is to emerge as fascists—in light of Hitler’s Germany. African American nationalists often exhibit greater interest in purging others based on race, class, sexual orientation and so on than in attacking the source of our oppression.
These days, to speak about a ‘nation within a nation,’ one also must contend with those who assume a post-nationalist perspective. Individuals with this perspective judge any discussion of nationalism as passé. Therefore, they look down on nationalist sentiments as being misinformed, projecting a “purity” of race, ethnicity, or culture. Of course, it is suspect that this stance arises in conjunction with the spread of global capitalism, even as the U. S. perpetrates its war in Iraq.
With my proposition, I seek to raise the bar by not playing the usual identity politics game. African Americans long recognized ‘race’ as an artificial construction imposed within a Western cultural hegemony. This comprehension is why, in our oral tradition, we relayed its absurdity. In the past, ‘the race card’ represented the only game in town. Our spokespeople had no recourse but to deal this card to sit at the table to raise the ante, but always seeking racial influence, not power. I contend that, once again, the table’s been turned; and it is time for us to seek self-determination by constructing a new game on a new playing surface.
Developing a national identity is distinct from a racial one. The problem is not thinking nationalistic, but the choices people have historically made in its behalf. Identities are shaped by our reference group orientation. Some of us identify with hip-hop culture. Others identify as being Christians, etc. We perform our personal identities everyday. Theoretically speaking, nations are ‘imagined communities.’ We only need to put our imaginations to work for greater empowerment.
