The Relationship of Black Power and Black Arts/Consciousness Movements to the Black Studies Movement
Author:
Benjamin Jermaine Woods
Degree Date:
January, 2009
Committee Chairperson:
James Turner
Call Number:
Thesis DT 3.5 2009 W663
Description:
vii, 133 leaves
Abstract:
This thesis is an examination of three social movements that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s: the Black Power Movement, Black Arts/Consciousness Movement, and Black Studies Movement. This study acknowledges that each movement had its own distinct character and ideas, but had overlapping actors, ideas, and objectives. The thesis argues that the political nationalism of the Black Power Movement, and the cultural nationalism of the Black Arts/Consciousness Movement influenced African students in the Black Studies Movement. Therefore, the study centers on the Black Studies Movement. Each Movement was a response to the cultural hegemony of the dominant Euro-American society. The study traces the development of each social movement including influences originating from previous eras. The Black Power Movement helped students to understand the political purpose of education in the United States and that it must help to liberate African people from white oppression. The Black Arts/Consciousness Movement contributed to the student's recognition of the importance ofidentity, history, and culture. The thesis demonstrates the dialectical and reciprocal nature of all three movements in the 1960s and 1970s.