Dyson analyzes 'black identity'

With the "rawness of gangsta rap" making a comeback, Michael Eric Dyson visited Boston College Monday to probe the deeper meanings underlying the thuggish portrayals of blacks in hip-hop culture.

He addressed his lecture, "Rethinking the Black Identity," to a crowd of students and faculty in Devlin 101. Dyson is currently the Avalon Professor in the Humanities in the religious studies department at the University of Pennsylvania.

His research focuses on race, religion, popular culture, and contemporary crises facing the African-American community. He also researches what he calls "bio-criticism," which is the melding of social and cultural criticism, as well as biographical analysis, according to the UPENN Almanac.

"The impact of black youth culture on global culture leads back to questions on black identity," Dyson said.

He went on to explain the importance of being aware of consequences of black identity, and of how critical it is to think about the ways America is "indebted" to contributions from black identity. Exploring various aspects of black culture, Dyson compartmentalized the black identity into three categories: stages, styles, and status.

Within the stages of black identity, Dyson addressed the stereotype, the archetype and the antitype. He defined the stereotype as the "lazy person's way to think of others." He went on to explain that stereotypes are the means by which those who dominate force their views onto others.

Dyson described the archetypal representation of the black persona as a vision against the stereotype, one separate from dominant views. Celebrities like Bill Cosby, Sidney Poiter, Dorothy Dandridge, and Pearl Bailey were included. Dyson explained that the archetype was the way in which black people began to express themselves in a positive manner.

"When you hear Bill Cosby's rambling diatribe of poor black people, that's nothing new," he said. He described what the archetype did as an "attempt to uplift people from that negative racial matrix."

The antitype was part of the "irreverent visions of blackness," according to Dyson. Here, he said, there is room for the "gangstas or pimps, ghettoecentrics, if you will." He stated that figures such as W.E.B. Dubois should get equal if not as much recognition as Snoop Dogg. He still promoted an internal discussion, however, among black people about the media representations of their culture.

Dyson explained that looking at whether a representation of culture portrayed by the media is positive or negative is too narrow a conception because it does not allow room for moral content. He encouraged delving into moral content for its provision of values, which shape our decisions. Using hip-hop culture as an example, Dyson stated that this particular genre of music can be both "terrible and edifying and powerful."

"Before you say [hip-hop] is positive or negative, think of whether it's complex versus simple," he said. "We must not let ourselves to cow into a simple interpretation of blackness."

He proceeded by affirming that all representations of black identity need to be viewed as a whole in order to make up what people ascribe as a genuine representation. Dyson commended Toni Morrison's Beloved for its "passionate intensities" and moral dilemmas. "[Morrison] brought [the story] to us raw because of her art and imagination," said Dyson.

Dyson termed several "strategies of black identity" such as "accidental blackness," which is when a black person believes that he or she defines himself by that which is not related to their skin color. "Incidental blackness" is the perception that black does not exclusively define oneself. "Intentional blackness" embraces one's color and therefore race.

Robert Scott, associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, agreed with several points of Dyson's address, specifically about stigmas surrounding the black identity. "The word choice, 'stigmas surrounding blackness,' can be literally rewritten as shame, disgrace, or dishonors surrounding blackness," said Scott. "There are stigmas associated with misbehavior, but blacks should not be identified and isolated as the only group of people who exhibit ill-advised or unpopular behavior."