African Diasporas, American Identities: Western Media's Impact on the Identity Constructions of 1.5 and Second Generation Nigerian Youth
Posted: 9 May 2013
Date Written: May 9, 2013
Abstract
The differential diasporic experiences that black groups in the U.S. have had shape their racial and ethnic identities in negotiation with the social context of the receiving country. Given the degradation of Africa, her peoples and their ways of life by the western media, many African Americans have sought to distance themselves from things African. Likewise, many black immigrants coming into the U.S. seek to escape the oppression and the negative media characterizations of African Americans. The portrayals of the two groups in the U.S. context, has often created a press for both groups to construct their identities in opposition to each other. Focused on the racial and ethnic identity constructions of African youth, this study explores their attempts to negotiate their identities within multiple conflicting worlds: family, peer, and media. The study found that media-generated portrayals of Africans and African Americans had a significant impact on the identity constructions and negotiations among the participants. The participants respond by practicing agency in shifting their self-identities according to the context and the nature of peer acceptance.
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