The Final (Af)front: Space and the Black Public Sphere

Abstract

Before examining the function of the Black public sphere and its relationship to use of space by Blacks in Oxford/Lafayette County, I want to address more generally the practices of subordinate groups for instituting change in stratified societies. This discussion sheds light on examples of getting over provided in previous chapters. The chapter goes on to describe what constitutes the Black public sphere in Oxford/Lafayette County and then addresses the use-of-space problems that become impediments to the operation of that sphere. The general concern of this chapter is social change. Social scientists recognize that social change is often brought about through two distinct methods – either as a result of the deliberate attempt of a group to solve some perceived problem or as a result of forced subordination during especially intense contact between two societies. Despite this awareness, we rarely acknowledge that, in addition to the expected changes, unintended consequences often accompany these two methods. In stratified systems, the model for change is influenced and constructed by the ideology of the dominant society. This is largely the result of its control over the necessary resources and the means of production – both economic and cultural. The dominant society constructs the major institutions, such as churches, schools, and newspapers. These institutions in turn legitimate the position of the dominant society. They enforce and maintain changes made through political and social repression.