The Construction of African American Identity

姜理東

云南大學旅游文化學院

【Abstract】African-American identity construction is very important for African Americans. Barack Obama， as the only African American president in history， is representative of African Americans. Obamas identity construction epitomizes African American groups identity construction.

【Key words】African American； Barack Obama； identity construction

1. Introduction

African American identity has always been a key issue in the course of American history. Many American forbears have been devoting and fighting for African American identity construction.

Barack Obama was firstly elected as president in 2008， which is the 44th President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. African Americans closely tie their hope on this historical president. Even whites are confident about Obamas successful election. As Thomas L. Friedman says， ‘we are surprised， the world is surprised. Meanwhile， it tells the world that America is a place where is full of beginnings. African Americans hope this new president could change the awkward conditions in economical， cultural and political sectors. Even native Africans positively hope that this new African American president would bring many changes for them. A term has expired and Obama successfully won a second term in 2012s presidential campaign.

2. Obamas Identity Construction

2.1 Obamas Importance to African Americans

Obamas successful election as American president is an excellent case for American Dream. In Americans mind， Obamas election is an inconceivable embodiment of American Dream. He is the first president ever elected in American history. In a sense， his election as president has made many Americans dreams come true. Many Scholars think that Obamas election as president is a milestone for African-American identity construction and President Obama is a sign of changing of African-American social positions， which shed new hope on African-American identity. Meanwhile， Obamas successful election as president signifies that African Americans go into the mainstreams of American society which is a milestone for African-American rights especially suffrage rights. On one hand， it is the result of fighting against discrimination， segregation and the pursuit of equality； on the other hand， it is closely related to the economic and social development and the self-consciousness. Therefore， in a sense， both historic and current causes lead to this. Moreover， the improvement of African-American economies since World WarⅡcontribute much to Obamas election success.

In 1965， there were 6， 000， 000 black people who are eligible to vote in 11 southern states， of which only a few enrolled to vote. In Georgia， only 27% voted， 19% in Alabama， 6% in Mississippi， let alone state governor， congress man and president election. Moreover， in 2008s general election， African-American votes are unprecedented， which takes 13% in whole votes. This unveils the great changes over past 40 years in America.

2.2 Obamas Cultural Identity

Obamas identity has always been controversial in academia. Harvard University historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote in 2009 that “African Americans [...] are a racially mixed or mulatto people—deeply and overwhelmingly so”. Obama treats himself as a hybrid. As Obama said：

My view has always been that Im African American. African American by definition， were a hybrid people…

For American people， Obama is a hybrid. He is both an African American and a white. Based upon his black origin， he is considered to be an African American. To disclose whether he is African enough， i.e black enough， Obama said that “what it really does is lay bare that we are still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong.” Consequently， Obama views himself as an African American.

As “racial purity is nothing other than a fiction”， Obamas identity is invariably mixed. He transgresses between the white and African American group. However， his black appearance lay much more emphasis on African American identity.

Obamas election victory casts light upon African American groups. Obamas victory makes a more united and perfect America. In a sense， Obamas identity is more of “American” than “white” or “African American”.

2.3 Obamas Challenges

Although African American economic and political position has greatly improved in the whole， the discrimination against African Americans is still popular. Firstly， Obama is the president of the United States， not mere the president of African American. Therefore， there is a paradox in Obamas mind： on one hand， he is the president of the popular whites； on the other hand， he must be the keyman of solving race problems. Of these two roles， he tends to represent the whole America， that is， the popular whites group rather than the African Americans. This is a key point which helps Obama win the succession in 2012. Obama concerns much about class， though he proposes to give priorities to ethnic minorities. To some extent， African American influences are decreased rather than increased. Therefore， race problems are becoming much more serious. Secondly， President Obama is just an African American in appearance， which is only a physical feature. Laying too much emphasis on his color would conceal some important things. Seeing from Obamas personal experiences and circumstances， Obamas lifestyle， thinking manners and values are much more like an upper class white. Therefore， Obama has not experienced too much about African American lives. As a result， Obama would contribute little to African-American identity construction. Thirdly， the decreasing population proportion is keeping abreast of the economic and social positions relatively. African American current status is much worse than whites.

3. Conclusion

Obama is a milestone in American history. Obamas first election and succession show the progresses about race in American society. Today， racial discrimination still exists furtively. Obamas two elections do not fundamentally change African Americans current positions. But the concept of racial equality is gradually formulated in peoples mind of all classes.However， the whole condition for African American is not as good as white Americans， i.e. African American groups identity construction still has a long way to go.

參考文獻：

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[2]“When LBJ said，‘We Shall Overcome，” Robert A.Caro，International Herald Tribune，August 29，2008：8.

[3]“Experts：Voter Turnout Could Be ‘Unprecedented，” Jill Laurence，USA Today，November 4，2008.

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[7]Vigo，Julian.“Metaphor of Hybridity：The Body of Michael Jackson.” The Journal of Pan African Studies 3.7（2010）：29-41.