Cultural Ecopsychology: Issues of Displacement and the Urban African Community
| Greetings! This site shares sections of my thesis completed in August 2000 as part of the requirements for my MA in Cultural Ecopsychology from Prescott College. Many of the ideas present are not comprehensive of my beliefs and the context of application. However this work was divinely inspired and, I feel, is important to share. Thank you for taking the time to read this and feel free to contact me with any comments. -Jeanine M. Canty |
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This study explores the relationship of culture and place, specifically looking at the consequences of displacement for urban African Americans. The author believes that the current problems of urban Black communities are directly linked to the continual displacement of this population from their original traditions and landscapes. The first occurred through enslavement, the second through the limitations of the reconstruction era which led to the present state of the ghetto. The author contends that one approach to these problems is for Blacks to look at the relationship between place and culture. A healthy culture models its laws according to its natural landscape and is part of a living system. Urban African Americans are in a powerful position to manifest this because they: are living in concentrated areas; are generally dissatisfied with their status within the United States; and are descendants of profound earth-based traditions from West and Central Africa. |
| About the Author |
| Introduction |
| Literature Review (and Personal Statement) |
| Systems and Their Relation to Culture |
| Displacement and Oppression for Urban African Americans |
| African Nature Based Traditions |
| Conclusion: Cultural Reintegration into a Living System |
| References |
| Definition of Key Terms |
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last updated: 07/19/2003 |
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