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 says that they are historically constructed and formed by colonialism, slavery, capitalism and nationalist philosophies.

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

Race makes the identity of the oppressed and oppressors seems fixed. Racism isn't caused by race but race is caused by racism. Racial differences only exist because of historical conflict between different groups that have separated us.

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

Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

He considers a transatlantic diasporic identity where groups across the Atlantic share cultural things with the black community as a result of a shared history.

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

They were not the same as the rest of the British people and were estranged from them

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

He saw it as a way to challenge the idea that people who see black culture would not see it as something that is the property of a single nation. But this meant that it could become trapped within national ideologies.

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.

Social media has been used to share real time updates of the people in Gaza, correct misinformation and amplify the voices that had been overlooked in the mainstream media. 

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

It spread Black culture across the world in a way that is irreversible 

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

Black people in certain TV shows are usually used for certain roles that reinforce stereotypes about them for example them being used as entertainers, athletes or as part of gangs. There is still not enough representation of the black community and when there is it often comes from peoples perceptions about them not from them directly.

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.

It shows the black women as extremely smart and outperforming the white men in the show. This subverts stereotypes about both women and the black community who are often labelled as less educated. The trailer explores how they overcome them constantly being overlooked despite the hard work they are putting in.