A Study Of Afrocentrism In Amiri Baraka's Dutchman And The Slave

Amiri Baraka(1934-2014),once called LeRoi Jones,is one of the most prolific African American writers,poets and playwrights.His short plays Dutchman and The Slave were published in 1964 and have attracted a great deal of attention and controversy.Many scholars have analyzed racial interaction and identities of the characters in these plays from the perspectives of mythological archetypes and surrealism.This thesis studies the two plays through the idea of Afrocentrism,which,broadly defined,is the collective awareness of African American people looking to celebrate their cultural heritage and recover a lost glory of ancient Africa while establishing their own rules and means of living.Meanwhile,it also embraces racial separation and violence.By analyzing Afrocentrism as embodied in characters within the plays,the aspiration of African American people to gain equality and respect in a racist society is clearly seen.However,this thesis argues that despite its positive role in uniting African Americans,Afrocentrism,due to its flaws in both theory and practice,cannot be a means to win true equality in a predominantly white American society.An analysis of Afrocentrism based on the ideas of cultural relativism,intercultural communication and history shows that due to its inevitable extreme tendencies,Afrocentrism cannot be the guiding paradigm for African Americans to attain equal rights.Only by discarding the perceived binary of "centrism" and "otherness" and initiating well informed and peaceful dialogue can mutual progress be realized.