Double Consciousness Research Paper

On last Wednesday I was able to attend one of the “Choreographing Histories, Presents, and Futures” series presentations. Imani Kai Johnson one of the assistant professors of critical dance studies presented her research on hip-hop dance cyphers. She introduced her research topic to us as the “Double-Consciousness in the Global Cypher”. Johnson opened up the series by sharing one of her chapters from her new book that is currently in progress. In the chapter she explained her experience she had traveling to Germany. While she was in Germany she happen to run into a cypher of hip-hop dancers performing for one another. The energy of the cypher intrigued her so much that she felt drawn to this urban type of street dance. She noticed the energy

In the wake of slavery, the black body is constantly under attack. The hold co-exists within the wake of slavery. According to Christina Sharpe, college professor, author of In the Wake on Blackness and Being, (2016) “The wake; a state of wakefulness and a state of consciousness” (pg. 5). Being in the wake of slavery means one still faces the negative effects it and is aware of the negative affects it has on the black community. The hold co-exists in the wake of slavery and the black body is inhibited by this hold. Sharpe defines the hold as, “A large space in the lower part of a aircraft in which cargo is stowed (of a ship or aircraft); keep or detain (someone)” (p. 68). In the hold, the black body has been introduced, taught, ingrained and continues this idea of the language of violence. Through the actual hold of the ship during the Middle Passage, to the perception of blacks which also holds the black body, and to the engrained idea of the “masculine black body” which keeps queer black bodies in their own hold. In this paper, I will examine the intersectionality of blackness and queerness which is being held in the wake of slavery.

Everyone is affected by it, even the people who say they’re not. Let’s start out with an example of Double-Consciousness. People wear makeup because they don’t think people will accept them for their real features of their face. They wear makeup to hide blemishes, plastic surgeries they’ve had done, freckles, just random fixes of their face they don’t like. There are also social classes which are divisive. Social classes don’t depend on how nice or good of a person you are. Everyone judges by your looks, financial status, and how other people view you. When people aren’t accepted, they start to change and try to be accepted. They try to match the popular people’s looks, makeup, styles,

Critically assess Du Bois’s conception of double consciousness. Can double consciousness be dissolved and, if so, how?

“Some day the Awakening will come, when the pent-up vigor of ten million souls shall sweep irresistibly toward the Goal, out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, where all that makes life worth living—Liberty, Justice, and Right—is marked ‘For White People Only’” (Du Bois155). The hardship experienced by African Americans refused to cease when the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863, it was at this point that it had only begun and the effects of double consciousness had already consumed the minds of many. Throughout this essay, the concept of double consciousness and its various counterparts will be explored through the historical era surrounding the very beginning of slavery and African American religion, all the way to the transformation of the Negro church

Nella Larsen, a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance, explores the nature of racial identity and double-consciousness in her novella Passing. W.E.B Du Bois’s theory of double-consciousness is characterized in The Souls of Black Folk as a sense of “twoness,-- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body” (Du Bois 2). Irene and Clare, Larsen’s novella’s primary characters, both lack a “dark body” which allows them to oscillate, by choice, between playing the part of the white “American” and the “Negro”. The appeal of racial passing lies in how it provides disenfranchised minorities access to otherwise unattainable

Before Du Bois brought the term “double consciousness” to light, there was no way to describe such an unspoken phenomenon. In W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk (1903) he introduces and describes how African Americans and their history have been shaped by the state of living in and wanting to overcome double consciousness. Du Bois perfectly describes double consciousness in African Americans as living behind a veil. The veil is bittersweet and produces a “second-sight” in America. From one perspective, the veil is a curse. On the contrast, it is what has made African Americans what they are today. In Du Bois’ own words, double consciousness is a “sense of always looking at one 's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one 's

It doesn’t take long to figure out that race and ethnicity issues continue to affect America - a quick glance at the news will show the latest riot, hate crime, or police brutality incident. This centuries old struggle has given rise to a number of literary works on the topic, many of which take a different approach to the issue. W.E.B. Du Bois, for instance, published the work The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, arguing for blacks’ right to equality in a horrifically segregated society. In these essays, Du Bois coined the term “double-consciousness,” wherein those with black skin must view the world both from their own perspective, and from the perspective of the predominately white society. The short story Recitatif by Toni Morrison explores this concept through the removal of the characters’ races, and the film Do the Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, tells a story to demonstrate it. While the former shows double-consciousness through the usage of ambiguity, the latter almost directly references the concept. Taken together, these two sources argue a multi-faceted version double-consciousness, wherein society alienates the characters in ways that go beyond just the color of one’s skin.

The theme of double-consciousness was first defined by Du Bois in The Souls of the Black Folk. He put the term “double-consciousness” in "a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one 's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one 's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from

Double consciousness and intersectionality are two sides of the same coin, whereas double consciousness describes the sense of a perceived identity in conjunction with self-identity; intersectionality breaks down the various social dynamics that lead to the perceived identity of people. Many of the perceived identities that are attached to a person by society are shrouded in misconceptions, over-generalizations, and stereotypes. For example, if a man and a woman stand in a room wearing scrubs and stethoscope and people were asked to point out who is the nurse and who is the doctor, most people would say that the man is the doctor just based on society perceived. The second stream of consciousness comes from the female doctor understanding that because of preconceived notions she will be mistaken for a nurse regardless of how many years she has worked to be called the doctor.

Double Consciousness Through Generations Through conscious and unconscious mindsets every society as created borders to which they use to separate the the population into different classifications. Within these borders are race, class, and gender. In W.E B. Du Bois’ 1903 publication of The Souls of Black Folk he introduces the concept of double consciousness. Which expresses how one will always have the feeling as if their identity is divided into two parts, their American soul and their African soul.

During post reconstruction, African Americans were forced to see themselves through many different lenses of society. Court cases such as Plessy vs Ferguson declared to them that segregation was good for everyone. Jim Crow laws told them that their influence in politics needed to be based on social standing and education level. Other non-legal means of oppression, such as lynching and the forming of racial hate groups, let them know that a divide between racial groups in America was necessary. Though they were now free, African Americans could not escape the bondage society placed on the color of their skin. Here in the turmoil, W.E.B. Du Bois rose up to identify and speak against what he called “double consciousness.” His theory, published

The mind is perhaps the most fascinating part of the human body due to its complexity and ability to rationalize. In essence, the mind-body problem studies the relation of the mind to the body, and states that each human being seems to embody two unique and somewhat contradictory natures. Each human contains both a nature of matter and physicality, just like any other object that contains atoms in the universe. However, mankind also is constituted of something beyond materialism, which includes its ability to rationalize and be self-aware. This would imply that mankind is not simply another member of the world of matter because some of its most distinctive features cannot be accounted for in this manner. There are obvious differences between physical and mental properties. Physical properties are publically accessible, and have weight, texture, and are made of matter. Mental properties are not publically accessible, and have phenomenological texture and intentionality (Stewart, Blocker, Petrik, 2013). This is challenging to philosophers, because man cannot be categorized as a material or immaterial object, but rather a combination of both mind and body (Stewart, Blocker, Petrik, 2013). Man embodies mind-body dualism, meaning he is a blend of both mind and matter (Stewart, Blocker, Petrick, 2013). The mind-body problem creates conflict among philosophers, especially when analyzing physicalism in its defense. This paper outlines sound

Are opinions really owned by the people or are they formed by society as a way to control the populace? In M. Rickert’s “Evidence of Love in a Case of Abandonment”, the protagonist Lisle's perception of herself and the theocratic society she lives in is heavily molded by the bureaucratic authority governing her country. As strong minded as Lisle is, her opinions simply reflect the false-consciousness interpellated in her community and this demonstrates the power of a bureaucratic government upon the ideals of individuals. Lisle's comprehension of her beliefs, self-worth and identity are all instilled in her by the ruling class. Throughout the narrative, Lisle's personal righteous beliefs are displayed in her observations

I think it would favor both mind-body dualism and materialism. Most mind-body dualists were very impressed by the remarkable advances in the physical sciences, such as Descartes. Descartes was setting mind-soul in a special category, radically distinct and different from the world of mechanical science. Materialism is not completely denying the soul. Materialism Recognize mind, but mind is include in person function.