The Duality Complex. An Unresolved Paradox in African American Politics

Abstract

As the 20th century rushes to a speedy conclusion, African Americans' political sensibilities remain entangled in the duality complex that Du Bois spoke of nearly 100 years ago. That America's residents of African descent exhibit this complex in their politics is not surprising, considering that the subject of their national identity has yet to be reconciled. In its operative modes, the twoness condition yields paradoxical political urgings from African American communities seeking freedom and justice. One part finds expression most notably through assimilative and integrative-oriented activities; the other part is primarily embodied in a range of nationalist projects. On closer examination, we discover that the manifest political urgings of African Americans are byproducts of competing core values (mainly between those rooted in European and Euro-American conceptions of individualism) and those rooted in collective consciousness (an African-centered value). The troublesome aspect of African Americans' enigmatic political consciousness is that it impedes the development of an unfettered, proactive posture. More appropriately put, this precarious politics results from lacking a collective consciousness toward