Background
Blacks took on Sociology, both directly and indirectly, through a commitment to racial uplift, liberation. Both Black women and men have tried to influence how we see and relate within the “racial family” and with others, using sociological and related perspectives. From this view, moreover, each of us as “black theorist” participates in this project of liberation by applying our lived experiences to the “sociological imagination”. This has been true of me and my work, too. Working with you in this course has reminded me of this. This assignment is an opportunity for you to “play” with ideas covered in the class, especially around reflexivity and the sociology of knowledge, and how a theorist/activist’s ideas might be gleaned through these conceptual lens.
This assignment, then, will focus on a “snapshot” from my work on the blacks/sociology interface. In particular, you will “play” with two chapters from my The Recovery of Race in America and excerpts from two volumes—one on black rhetoric, the other on black sociology/psychology—that contextualize my work within the diasporian discourse.
Your Tasks
(1) You will summarize in your own words theoretical and practical matters I am concerned with in this book, paying special attention to what I see as the problem for African Americans/black with respect to the paradox of liberation—liberating both myself and the racial group.
(2) You will consider my framing of the problem and how it relates to or influences Sociological theory; that is, how do I attempt to “carry forward” the ideas of someone else. This task will require you to draw on your previous coursework with me in theory (smile). Feel free to critique the ideas I am sharing in terms of both your own lived experiences and the things you have studied.
(3) Finally, by way of reflexivity, you will share your thoughts on why you are/not drawn to my issues/suggestions in the chapters and whether you believe there are questions I raise that you might carry forward in your own theorizing.
The excerpts are intended to help you make sense of how my work has been received and placed in context with larger activism/work by others with a shared commitment to racial uplift.
