Strategies for Success among African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans

Overachieve, Be Cheerful, or Confront

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Customs & Traditions, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Strategies for Success among African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski ISBN: 9781498554503
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: December 18, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
ISBN: 9781498554503
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: December 18, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

How can African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans from the former British colonies be so different in their approaches toward social mobility? Chrystal Y. Grey and Thomas Janoski state that this is because native blacks grow up as “strangers” in their own country and immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean are conversely part of “the dominant group.” Unlike previous research that compares highly educated Afro-Caribbeans to the broad range of African-Americans, this study holds social-class constant by looking only at successful blacks in the upper-middle-class from both groups. This book finds that African-Americans pursue overachievement strategies of working much harder than others do, while Afro-Caribbeans follow an optimistic job strategy expecting promotions and success. However, African-Americans are more likely to use confrontational strategies if their mobility is blocked. The main cause of these differences is that Afro-Caribbeans grow up in a system where they have many examples of black politicians and business leaders (35–90% of their countries are black) and African-Americans have fewer role models (12–14% of the United States are black). Further, the schooling system in Afro-Caribbean countries does not label blacks as underachievers because the schools are almost entirely black. A further problem that African-Americans face is the resentment of a small but significant number of blacks who have little social mobility. They accuse socially mobile African Americans of “acting white,” which is a phenomenon that Afro-Caribbeans almost never face and they call it “an African-American thing.” To demonstrate this difference, Strategies for Success among African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans does a historical-comparative analysis of the differences between the black experience after slavery in the United States and Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and St. Kitts-Nevis. The authors interview fifty-seven black people and find consistent differences between the US and Caribbean black citizens. Using theories of symbolic interaction and ressentiment, this work challenges previous studies that either claim that Afro-Caribbeans are more motivated than African-Americans, or studies that show that controlling for class, each group is more or less the same.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How can African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans from the former British colonies be so different in their approaches toward social mobility? Chrystal Y. Grey and Thomas Janoski state that this is because native blacks grow up as “strangers” in their own country and immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean are conversely part of “the dominant group.” Unlike previous research that compares highly educated Afro-Caribbeans to the broad range of African-Americans, this study holds social-class constant by looking only at successful blacks in the upper-middle-class from both groups. This book finds that African-Americans pursue overachievement strategies of working much harder than others do, while Afro-Caribbeans follow an optimistic job strategy expecting promotions and success. However, African-Americans are more likely to use confrontational strategies if their mobility is blocked. The main cause of these differences is that Afro-Caribbeans grow up in a system where they have many examples of black politicians and business leaders (35–90% of their countries are black) and African-Americans have fewer role models (12–14% of the United States are black). Further, the schooling system in Afro-Caribbean countries does not label blacks as underachievers because the schools are almost entirely black. A further problem that African-Americans face is the resentment of a small but significant number of blacks who have little social mobility. They accuse socially mobile African Americans of “acting white,” which is a phenomenon that Afro-Caribbeans almost never face and they call it “an African-American thing.” To demonstrate this difference, Strategies for Success among African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans does a historical-comparative analysis of the differences between the black experience after slavery in the United States and Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and St. Kitts-Nevis. The authors interview fifty-seven black people and find consistent differences between the US and Caribbean black citizens. Using theories of symbolic interaction and ressentiment, this work challenges previous studies that either claim that Afro-Caribbeans are more motivated than African-Americans, or studies that show that controlling for class, each group is more or less the same.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Metaphilosophy by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book DIY Utopia by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book This Bridge We Call Communication by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Women Ethnographers and Native Women Storytellers by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book The Essence of Desperation by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Applying Anthropology to Gender-Based Violence by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Transnational Punk Communities in Poland by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Polish Hero Roman Rodziewicz by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Dropping out of Socialism by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Enacting Adolescent Literacies across Communities by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Picturing Hegel by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Leadership in a Changing World by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Crafting Culturally Efficacious Teacher Preparation and Pedagogies by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Concubinage and Servitude in Late Imperial China by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
Cover of the book Gender in a Transitional Era by Chrystal Y. Grey, Thomas Janoski
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy