A Discussion of “Black Ethnics” with Christina Greer | April 13, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
11:30am - 1:00pm
Lunchtime discussion on race and ethnicity scholarship moderated by Marcelle Medford-Lee, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology, and CSRPC Dissertation Fellow
3:00pm - 4:30pm
CRES Talks presents: “Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream: A Discussion of Black Ethnics,” with Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science, Fordham University
In Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press) the differing political negotiations of black American, Afro-Caribbean, and African immigrant groups once they settle into the American polity are analyzed. Questions surrounding incorporation, assimilation, and acceptance are raised and historical analyses is used to explain diverse attitudes of the three black groups. There has been significant voluntary immigration of black populations from Africa and the Caribbean over the past few decades, which has changed the racial, ethnic, and political landscape in the U.S. An important question for social scientists is how these “new” blacks will behave politically in the U.S. How will they distinguish themselves or align themselves with native-born black Americans? What are their policy preferences? For urban areas such as New York City, how will this affect electoral coalition building at the local level? Existing scholarship has viewed foreign-born black immigrants as newcomers who are distinct from black Americans in their work ethic and overall political motivations. There is an underlying assumption that as long as Afro-Caribbeans do not assimilate with native-born blacks, their chances for downward assimilation are drastically decreased. Other scholars have observed that the influx of foreign-born populations has not been significant enough to warrant a paradigm shift in racial and ethnic political scholarship. This manuscript explores the significance of black ethnic immigrants by quantitatively and qualitatively investigating the political attitudes and behavior of these new populations and their effects on black politics at the individual, aggregate, and elite levels. It is also argued that the differing historical paths of incorporation directly affect present day negotiations with race and ethnicity for differing groups of blacks in the U.S. This new work within the discipline makes a case for considering differences in black ethnic inclusion in the social science scholarship on the American polity.
Christina Greer is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Fordham University - Lincoln Center (Manhattan) campus. Her research and teaching focus on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods, Congress, New York City and New York State politics, campaigns and elections, and public opinion. Professor Greer is currently writing her second manuscript and conducting research on the history of all African Americans who have run for the executive office in the U.S. Roughly sixty African Americans have run for or been nominated for the executive office since 1872. Her research interests also include mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore. Prof. Greer received her B. A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. She is a member of the board of Project Vote and an ardent supporter of FIERCE in NYC and Project South in Atlanta, GA. She is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and NY1 and is often quoted in media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press.