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Racism in the U.S. and the Collective Identity Theory

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Racism in the U.S. and the Collective Identity Theory

Introduction

Even though the founding principles in the U.S. embrace the ideals of equality and

freedom, there are numerous instances that manifest systematic exclusion in addition to

suppression of other races. The laws and public policies in the country continue to hinder people

of color from actively participating in the democratic system. In this paper, focus is on

evaluating the issue of racism as it applies in the U.S. and use the collective identity theory to

examine the social problem.

Racism represents a social problem because it goes against the concepts of equal

treatment and fairness. It is an unjustified way of discriminating against a particular group of

people because of their race. The interesting factor about this topic is that in the current civilized

society, one would not expect to observe discrimination against a particular racial group but

against all odds, the problem of racism is still rampant. People of color continue to be denied

access to diverse opportunities in many fields including business, politics and social institutions.

The specific question that will be addressed in this paper is “Is racism existent in the

contemporary American society and how does the collective identity theory explain the issue of

racial discrimination”.

Scholarly? In text Citation Bibliography Citation

Yes Eder (2009) Eder, K. (2009). A theory of collective

identity. European Journal of Social

Theory, 1(1), 1-21.

Yes Shelby (2002) Shelby, T. (2002). Foundations of

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Black Solidarity: Collective Identity or

Common Oppression? Ethics, 112(2),

231-266.

Yes Pierce (2013) Pierce, A.J. (2013). Collective Identity,

Oppression, and the Right to Self-

Ascription. Lexington Publishers.

Yes Taylor (2013) Taylor, V. (2013) Social movement

participation in the global society:

Identity, networks and emotions. In:

Van Stekelenburg, J., Roggeband,

C.M., and Klandermans, B. (eds), The

Changing Dynamics of Contention.

University of Minnesota Press,

Minneapolis

The collective identity theory illustrates the reaction of people of color to racial

discrimination. According to Shelby (2002), the racial oppression that Black people have faced

in the past has caused black to radicalize black Americans to unite and become a collective agent

for social change. The theory was developed by Alberto Melucci and it involves establishment of
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a strong categorical label from a specific social movement. Collective identity facilitates creation

of bonds between people through shared goals and morals. In relation to racial oppression in

America, Shelby (2002) explains that a collective black identity is important in supporting an

effective black solidarity that is targeted at liberating people from racial oppression. The author

elaborates that Black people who have a commitment to realize emancipatory group solidarity

have to adopt and retain their unique black identity. Without the shared values and goals that

form an identity among black people, the black collective self-realization and its related goals

would lose their rationale and appeal. Many influential theorists have defended or utilized the

collective identity theory as a model that can explain the need for emancipatory black solidarity.

A good example is Du Bois and his essay titled “The Conservation of Races” which advocates

for a strong kind of emancipatory black solidarity (Shelby, 2002). The essay explicitly stipulates

the need for American Negroes to exercise their duty to conserve their physical powers, spiritual

ideas and intellectual endowments. Through race organization, solidarity and unity, the Black

people in the country can survive the inequality that has prevailed in society and limits access to

opportunities for development among people of color (Shelby, 2002). The assertion that Du Bois

made was that overcoming racial oppression relied on black solidarity and required Black people

to contribute to humanity through preservation of their unique cultural ideals. Instead of being

influenced by Anglo-American culture, blacks should promote conservation of their racial

identity. It is only through collective racial identity that Black people can achieve black

liberation. The same argument is brought forth by Pierce (2013) in his book about oppression

and collective identity. The author explains that groups have a collective right to find the

meaning of the identity they share as a group and such a right is especially valuable for groups

that have been oppressed in history. Black people are among people of color who have been
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oppressed in the past because of their race and that shared experience establishes a group identity

that can be leveraged to pursue and realize black liberation.

There are some critics who find black solidarity to be an impractical and irrational

practice Shelby (2002) argues that black solidarity does not contribute to black liberation and

that black people do not need a collective black identity to develop effective bonds. The author

emphasizes that formation of bonds based on shared racial oppression and related experiences

would just put undue pressure on individual freedom and can even be self-defeating. An

emancipatory black solidarity that reinforces the need for affirmation of a racial, national, ethnic

or cultural identity is an aspect of black political through that should be eradicated to allow for

appropriate ways of overcoming racial oppression (Taylor, 2013). That perspective is opposed by

proponents of collective identity theory and its application in the struggle to overcome racial

oppression. Such proponents strong believe that black people have to accept and preserve their

unique black identity to create a politically progressive solidarity. The collective agency that

applies through the shared goals and values under collective identity is expected to strengthen the

pursuits of black people towards black liberation. Theoretically, the argument is valid because

the collective identity that Black people would develop can reinforce the commitment to fight

against racial oppression together. The mob mentality is an influential factor when engaging in

activism and it can be manifested in the stronger conviction of Black people to protest racial

oppression as a collective agency. The prevalent ethnic conceptions concerning black identity

fall in two categories. The first category considers black people to be descendants of specific

sub-Saharan Africans and these people share a culture that can be traced back to those ancestors.

The other perspective emphasizes the experiences of black concerning oppression in

contemporary society and the rich culture acquired in the environment of oppression since being
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forcibly moved from Africa to the New World. The two versions show that it is not possible to

acquire a black ethnic identity if a person lacks the needed biological ancestry and accepts the

necessary cultural traits. The black ethnic identity distinguishes Black people from other races

therefore it creates a shared sense of identity that each group member enjoys and a collective

agency that can be directed to the struggle against racial oppression. The cultural blackness

conception is founded on the assumption that there is a distinct ensemble of values, beliefs

practices and behavior that is linked with black people due to their role in developing it. Even

though the culture is assumed to be fundamentally a product of black individuals and their

experiences, its resultant reproduction is not dependent solely on the black people’s activities.

The external influences that become part of shaping a black ethnic culture cause other people

who do not necessarily have biological ancestry to sub-Saharan Africans to embrace and develop

a black cultural identity (Shelby, 2002). That means collective identity concerning racial

oppression can be adopted and shared by people who do not necessary have black ethnic roots.

Conclusion

The collective identity theory has been shown to be a framework that reinforces the

commitment of Black people as a collective agency to address racial oppression. There are critics

who find the concept of emancipatory black solidarity to be impractical and that it has no

contribution to black liberation. However, the arguments in support of collective identity and its

influence in addressing racial oppression have been presented by diverse authors including Du

Bois and show that the shared values and cultural identity of Black people can influence their

commitment in the struggle against racial oppression.

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References

Eder, K. (2009). A theory of collective identity. European Journal of Social Theory, 1(1), 1-21.

Pierce, A.J. (2013). Collective Identity, Oppression, and the Right to Self-Ascription. Lexington

Publishers.

Shelby, T. (2002). Foundations of Black Solidarity: Collective Identity or Common Oppression?

Ethics, 112(2), 231-266.

Taylor, V. (2013) Social movement participation in the global society: Identity, networks and

emotions. In: Van Stekelenburg, J., Roggeband, C.M., and Klandermans, B. (eds), The

Changing Dynamics of Contention. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis