“True to Our Native Land”

Distinguishing Attitudinal Support for Pan-Africanism from Black Separatism

Bibliographic Data

ID24316031
AuthorsLester K Spence (0000-0003-4483-8641), Todd C Shaw (0000-0003-2955-590X), Robert A Brown (0000-0003-2350-110X)
Year2005
Volume2
Issue1
Pages91-111
Publication date2005-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDu Bois Review Social Science Research on Race (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1742-058X • E-ISSN: 1742-0598
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1742058x05050071
OpenAlexW2122536259
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited45

There have been several recent attempts to operationalize and measure empirically attitudinal support for Black nationalism. However, scholars have not yet reached a consensus as to what precisely constitutes Black nationalism and its manifestations. Our work addresses three critical questions. First, is Black nationalism a uni-dimensional or a multi-dimensional construct? Second, is Black nationalism another form of xenophobia? Third, is support for Black nationalism a function of time? Some scholars note that Black nationalism takes on the character of its material context and that it cannot be easily subsumed into a trans-historical ideology (Reed 2002; Robinson 2001). We indirectly test these hypotheses by examining the relationship between two components of Black nationalism—Black separatism and Pan-Africanism. To test these hypotheses, we analyze data from the 1979–1980 National Survey of Black Americans (NSBA). Overall, we establish the determinants of support for Black separatism and Pan-Africanism while distinguishing these ideologies' similarities and differences.

African Americans · Black nationalism · Black separatism · ideology measurement · Pan-Africanism · Xenophobia · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Race, History, and American Society · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research