Black Citizenship and Authenticity in the Civil Rights Movement

Despite the media-manufactured and pseudo-intellectual debate over a post-racial America, sociological research continues to demonstrate that race is as important as ever. This volume traces contemporary struggles over black political representation to the civil rights movement, and two competing models of black citizenship - "good black citizenship," and the black nationalist conceptualization of citizenship characterized by an emphasis on authenticity. Examining the intersections of race, citizenship, and ethics, the book argues that the emergence of good black citizenship as the dominant form of black political representation has narrowed who is considered a full member of society, while simultaneously relegating individuals who do not reflect good citizenship to the margins.