African American Studies Research Paper

African American Studies Research Paper

African American Studies is an interdisciplinary subject that acts as a "dialogue" between other fields of research to build a collective understanding of the African experience as well as document the African initiative.

Among one of the principles of Afrocentricity, a driving concept behind African American Studies, is the portrayal of Africans not just as victims, but as agents of their own history, which is reflected in Celie's decision to take control of her life rather than suffer in silence. Since she was fourteen, Celie had been physically and sexually abused by her father, and later was forced to suffer the same treatment upon marrying her husband dubbed as Mr. _____. When urged by her daughter–in–law, Sofia, to fight back against ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...After growing seriously ill, Shug is cared for by Celie that leads to their ensuing friendship. When Shug regains her strength and prepares to leave, Celie confesses being abused by her husband to which Shug responds by "put[ting] her arms around [her]" and "stay[ing] until Albert won't even think about beating [her]" (75). This scene is particularly important to Celie as Shug shows to not only have heard Celie's plea, but also takes action to help her deal with the abuse and end it. Furthermore, Shug is an individual Celie has strongly admired for years and to be acknowledged by one of the most important figures in her life is an important piece of evidence to Celie that she is an individual of value. This small understanding of self–worth then grows as Shug continues to nurture and care for Celie throughout the novel, causing Celie to finally break free from her husband with her renewed self–esteem. Celie's strength, while her own, would not have manifested on its own if Shug had not helped her develop her self–confidence. Celie's self–realization is tied to Shug's constant support and is not an isolated event similar to how African American Studies is not an isolated discipline. It is deeply connected to other branches of knowledge for the sake of expanding, enriching, and generally improving the understanding of humanity as whole from an Afrocentric perspective. While African American Studies is focused on discussing the African experience from the beliefs and mindsets of African people, it is a discipline that also seeks to acquire a larger understanding of humanity as a whole through the inclusion of all cultures. Without the supporting knowledge and perspectives provided by

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