Thesis: Black Americans should not promote BCN (nationalism) as a component of public philosophy & black politics should not be understood on the model of multiculturalism (i.e. a politics that promotes cultural differences). Questions: Why shouldn’t BCN be promoted? This is anti-DuBoisian in certain respects, so how does Shelby think of BCN in light of positive things he has said elsewhere in the book? 8 tenets of BCN (think family resemblance here not necessary and sufficient). [Leave out long descriptions but put page numbers where they occur. Make sure you can describe each. Focus on counter arguments Shelby gives.] 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Distinctiveness 163-4 Collective Consciousness 164 Conservation 164-5 Rootedness 165 Emancipatory Tool 165-6 Public Recognition 166 Commercial Rights 166 Interpretative Authority 166-67
[The structure of this chapter is such that Shelby will address all of these, so it’s important to make sure you recognize what he says about each.] Acceptance of 1. Will assume there are cultures that can be thought of as black and correspondingly white. So Shelby won’t take up 1 again. Counterarguments 2 Not all persons designated as racially black self-identify as culturally black. 2 would be easy to argue for if this were the case. Permitting cultural identity would then result in blacks pursuing a collective cultural identity insofar as they would be pursuing the same culture. Defendability of 2 will rest on whether it is merely permissible (and maybe praiseworthy) to identify with culture or whether it is an obligation. To agree that one should not be inhibited in the development of a cultural identity is not to