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Examples Of Double Consciousness In African American Culture

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Double consciousness and fugitivity arose within the African American culture as they addressed distinct aspects that African American people experience. Double Consciousness explores the psychological warfare code-switching may have on an African American person. Having to balance the division between being black and American, this internal struggle aligns with fugitivity as one constantly resists and challenges the oppressive systems attempting to control their life. Growing up black in America, one is frequently in a mode of survival and forced strength due to the hundred years of oppression engrained in society and one's mind. Fugitivity challenges these notions of survival and promotes a sense of liberation to live as one's true self instead of the " safe " version. Using these concepts and deciphering their similarities, we can better understand how African Americans …show more content…

A long history of oppression has forced African Americans to learn to live with such prejudice because they are expected to fit stereotypes. Early on, they are taught how their treatment will be based on the color of their skin, thus internalizing oppression before they are fully aware of how it will affect them. As double consciousness infers, the divided awareness Black Americans experience can subconsciously reinforce negative stereotypes. One may act unauthentically for social approval to fit into society's agenda. However, identity fragments can disappear by doing this, leaving individuals confused about themselves and their sense of purpose. In contrast to fugitivity, African Americans can dismantle oppression and demand honor and respect. In a sense, the comparative struggle between double consciousness and fugitivity reveals the want for self-definition and the importance of achieving true liberation within a society that continues to look down upon the

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E. B. Du Bois’1903 The Souls of Black Folk, introduces the concept of double consciousness where it states that “because double consciousness is at once a deprivation (an inability to see oneself except ‘through the eyes of others’) and a gift (an endowment of ‘second-sight’, that seems to allow a deeper or redoubled comprehension of the complexities of ‘this American world’)”(14). Despite Du Bois’ limited privileges as a Black man, he does not mention gender identity as one of the primary contributors to consciousness, possibly because he doesn’t suffer in the way that Black women do. It is important to recognize that his dominant gaze is the Black male gaze. Although Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted was written in 1892 Iola Leroy exists as an embodiment of triple consciousness given that both, double and triple consciousness existed far before being given a label. The lack of inclusion in double consciousness continues to perpetuate misogynoir, the intersection of racism and sexism against Black Women, and the erasure of their

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