OSP: Paul Gilroy - Postcolonial theory and diasporic identity

 Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can access it online here using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

He suggests racial identities are historically constructed and that racism causes race. He argues against ethnic absolutism as it counters his argument that racism causes race.

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

Gilroy suggests that racism occurs due to colonisation, slavery, nation philosophies and consumer capitalism. 

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

Ethnic absolutism is the idea that humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the bases of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to this as it counters his argument that racism causes race.

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

Gilroy sees black diasporic identity as a movement as he believes black identity is based on the routes taken throughout history. He believes that this cannot be rewound to a state of "cultural purity" which shows that he believes diasporic culture is dynamic. 

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

Gilroy suggested the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s was as

“external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation.”

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

- Creates tension between the diasporic identity and national ideologies

- Exclusion of diasporic identities

- Marginalisation will also create an identity which is shared within the diasporic community and perhaps from the origin country

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

One way diasporic communities can use the media to stay connected is through social media. For example, communities can talk with eachother on social media apps such as Whatsapp to share life cycle events. Another way is through YouTube channels and similar platforms which can act as digital archives which can be used to educate diasporic identities on their culture.

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

He believes that the transatlantic slave trade caused people who originally came from similar areas to disperse into new areas and lands where they pick up certain part of cultures of where they were forced to live and stay at.

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

The media reinforces the idea of double consciousness as the media allows people to see ones identity from a black persons perspective and from the American state.

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

The trailer for Hidden Figures attempts to challenge double consciousness as it forces the audience to see how society is structured by systematic racism as the trailer shows how black women navigate in a world where they are suppressed. Furthermore, it subverts negative stereotypes about black women as the main characters are represented as smart and independent. This subverts the idea of double consciousness as it shows how black individuals and those with diasporic identity are attempting to integrating themselves into a different culture by using their awareness of a white societies bias.