Dreaming Blackness: Black Nationalism and African American Public Opinion

by Melanye T. Price

Overview

A complex portrait of contemporary black political stances

Black Nationalism is one of the oldest and most enduring ideological constructs developed by African Americans to make sense of their social and political worlds. In Dreaming Blackness, Melanye T. Price explores the current understandings of Black Nationalism among African Americans, providing a balanced and critical view of today’s black political agenda. She argues that Black Nationalism continues to enjoy moderate levels of support by most black citizens but has a more difficult time gaining a larger stronghold because of increasing diversity among blacks and a growing emphasis on individualism over collective struggle. She shows that black interests are a dynamic negotiation among various interested groups and suggests that those differences are not just important for the "black agenda" but also for how African Americans think and dialogue about black political questions daily.

Using a mix of everyday talk and impressive statistical data to explain contemporary black opinions, Price highlights the ways in which Black Nationalism works in a "post-racial" society. Ultimately, Price offers a multilayered portrait of African American political opinions, providing a new understanding of race specific ideological views and their impact on African Americans, persuasively illustrating that Black Nationalism is an ideology that scholars and politicians should not dismiss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814767450
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Melanye T. Price is Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science at Rutgers—New Brunswick.She is the author of The Race Whisperer: Barack Obama and the Political Uses of Race and Dreaming Blackness: Black Nationalism and African American Public Opinion.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Reconciling Race and Nation: Black Nationalism and African American Political Opinion
2 Beyond Martin and Malcolm: Ordinary Citizens Talk about the Civil Rights Legacy and Community Problems
3 Rights and Resistance: Mapping the Terrain of Black Nationalist Adherence
4 The New Old School Blame Game: Blame Attribution and Ideology among African Americans
5 The Measure and Meaning of Black Nationalism
6 Black Nationalism and Its Consequences
7 Dreaming Blackness: Making Sense of Support or Rejection of Separatism
8 Conclusion: Black Nationalism at the Post–Civil Rights Crossroads
Afterword: Black Power: A Note about Black Nationalism, Barack Obama, and the Future of Black Politics
Appendix A: Focus Group Characteristics
Appendix B: NBES Survey Questions and
Descriptive Statistics
Notes
References
Index
About the Author

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Price (Wesleyan Univ.) utilizes different research methods to illuminate the complex characteristics of black nationalist ideology among African Americans. The book's strength is its combination of analyses of focus group data as well as large survey data sets. The material from focus groups paints a vivid picture of real people discussing these issues, and this allows the author to illustrate many of her key points."-CHOICE,

“Price has given us one of the few and one of the best studies of Black Nationalism and African American public opinion. She goes beyond the Malcolm v. Martin binary to interrogate the tendencies toward separatism and integrationism that are present in virtually all African Americans.”
-Charles P. Henry,author of Long Overdue: The Politics of Racial Reparations

"Dreaming Blackness...is a richly layered text that promises to be an enlightening addition to courses in American politics and African American studies."-Erica R. Edwards,National Political Science Review

Editorial Reviews

"Dreaming Blackness...is a richly layered text that promises to be an enlightening addition to courses in American politics and African American studies."

National Political Science Review - Erica R. Edwards

Price (Wesleyan Univ.) utilizes different research methods to illuminate the complex characteristics of black nationalist ideology among African Americans. The book’s strength is its combination of analyses of focus group data as well as large survey data sets. The material from focus groups paints a vivid picture of real people discussing these issues, and this allows the author to illustrate many of her key points.”-CHOICE

" Dreaming Blackness...is a richly layered text that promises to be an enlightening addition to courses in American politics and African American studies."-Erica R. Edwards, National Political Science Review

From the Publisher

"Price has given us one of the few and one of the best studies of Black Nationalism and African American public opinion. She goes beyond the Malcolm v. Martin binary to interrogate the tendencies toward separatism and integrationism that are present in virtually all African Americans."

Charles P. Henry