This collection of essays focuses on the various forces of Black identity primarily within the context of the United States and the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. It breaks new ground by examining Black identity on both sides of the Atlantic in relation to the African Diaspora. What is also unique is the fact that this volume provides a firm collaboration between Black British and African American scholars. Too often, Black experiences have been viewed in isolation from one another. Black Identity in the Twentieth Century enables the reader to compare and contrast themes relating to these two important locations. Covering a range of interdisciplinary topics, the book is divided into three interlocking sections.
Part One examines Pan-African philosophy and practice, West Africans in Britain (1900-1960), and African American political struggle covering the Civil Rights Movement and Black Nationalism; Part Two considers the impact of Afrocentricity in challenging Western intellectual hegemony, the Black intellectual tradition and the role of Afrocentric social work in the UK; and Part Three analyses the complexity and nuances of Black identity in terms of phenotype or physical markers and folklore via prose. It is written in a stimulating and accessible style, and includes contributions from relatively new voices in the field of Black Studies as well as distinguished scholars. Among the contributors are, Dr Molefi K. Asante, Dr Diedre L. Badejo, Dr Hakim Adi, Dr Stephen Small and Dr William E. Nelson, Jr.
Dr Mark Christian is a native of Liverpool. He is a professor of Black World Studies and Sociology at Miami University in Ohio, USA. As a senior Fulbright scholar, his research covers issues relating to Black identity constructs in the African Diaspora. His previous works include Multiracial Identity: An International Perspective (London: Macmillan, 2000).