In Gilroy’s “The Black Atlantic as a Counterculture of Modernity,” he explores Martin Robinson Delany and his views and impacts on the Black community. He starts off by introducing Delany and claims that he is viewed as being more relevant or legitimate as he has a closer “proximity” to Africa than people such as Frederick Douglass. I am not sure, however, whether this added sense of legitimacy is justified, especially when the content of what Delany speaks about is considered. Delany proposes an idea that he and the Black community should ultimately seek to go back to Africa, or what he calls the “fatherland.” Delany’s notions of belonging and returning “home” are troubling, however, as he sees Africa from a viewpoint very similar to that of colonizers. He does not truly see Africa as home and would require multiple things to change before he would find it to be a suitable place to live. He thinks that simply going back to the place of his ancestors is not enough; one must bring that place up to speed with today’s world and craft it in order to make it a better fit. What’s most disturbing about this perspective is that it is similar to those same colonizers that ripped his ancestors from their home. Looking back on Delany’s viewpoints from today’s society, one can easily see how Delany’s ideas are problematic. His condescending views towards the African people and the inherent sexism that he feels the need to detail in his efforts should cause one to question whether he truly deserves to be privileged because of the proximity of his heritage.
2 Replies to “Questioning “Proximity” and Legitimacy in the Atlantic”
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I think this is an interesting argument. It reminds me of a discussion we had in my class on the history of Che Guevara about what “development” or “backwardness” mean. These are words that take on a western perspective of what it means to be modern. It seems that Delany has adopted this mindset in his views about the “homeland.” While on one hand, we can criticize him for adopting the view of the colonizers, on the other hand, his view also shows hybridity. Delany may have a close proximity to Africa, but his identity is not solely defined by his blackness. He has been changed and shaped by his interactions with other peoples in the Atlantic theater.
This is a really interesting turn on Delany’s own ideas and Gilroy’s understanding of them. There are degrees of separation from one’s idea of a cultural homeland and the more time we spend in different cultural contexts, the greater separation we gain and the more our homeland becomes an almost ideal other. I like your point about how this should make us question Delany and the parallels of his ideas with the colonial powers or ideologies and it seems like that line of questioning will be really important going forward.