Race and Racism
Forms of Racism
Explicit Prejudice
But Americanah documents all sorts of racism, beyond that discussed
in the blog, from the perspective of one (fictional) character’s lived
experiences
Obinze being mocked for scraping his knee because he’s a
“knee-grow”
People assuming the white Curt couldn’t be dating Ifemelu
because she is black
Patients refusing to have Aunty Uju as their doctor.
Accusations of “playing the race card”
Being asked to provide “the black perspective” in class
Claims that “racism is over”
Comments about black people not needing sunscreen
The realization that white guys in college weren’t attracted to
her sexually as she was black
Beauty Standards
This is most evident when zoning in on Eurocentric-beauty standards
where whiteness is the pinacle of perfection.
Black women are pressured to succumb to American standards
of beauty and professionalism by relaxing their hair or
somehow making it look more like white women’s hair.
o This becomes apparent to Ifemelu when Aunty Uju tells
her “If you have braids, they will think you are
unprofessional”.
In Americanah, hair is a clear demonstration of how American
society makes no place for black independence, devoid of
whiteness and assimilation into white society is celebrated
o When Ifemelu gets her hair relaxed, her hairdressor
triumphantly announced “You’ve got the white-girl
swing!”
o Although Ifemelu’s hairdresser is content with Ifemelu’s
new hair, she leaves the salon mournfully, with the potent
smell of burning ingrained in her mind. The smell of
something organic dying made her feel a sense of loss.
, Homogenisation of All Black People
In the United States, the term ‘black’ encompasses all of those with
darker skin, irrespective of origin or nationality. It is an inherently
racist term that categorizes people based solely on their position on
the light-to-dark scale
In one of her spirited blog posts, she states “Dear Non-
American Black, when you make the choice to come to America,
you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or
I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care”
o Adichie critically reflects on universalized, hegemonic
African-American cartographies of blackness
o Ifemelu, and many other immigrants, are told that they
are black; even though this label has new significance to
her initially, she is forced to see it as significant as it
informs how she is treated
This arbitrary label and categorization is shown to be shallow
through Adichie’s descriptions of the wealth of difference and
diversity within the community of those who are ‘black’
o African Americans and Africans in America
o Different nationalities
Aunty Uju gives Ifemelu her friend’s driver’s license and social
security card, as Ifemelu now has to pretend to be “Ngozi
Okonkwo” to find legitimate work.
o Ifemelu is worried because she doesn’t look like the
woman at all, but Aunty Uju assures her that “all of us
look alike to white people.”
Colourblindness
Adichie’s Americanah is a pertinent reminder that while racism
may be forbidden according to legislative books, it is still
written into institutional structures as well as outdated,
sheltered private opinion
o People choose to pretend that race does not exist. While
it is an artifical and man-made construct, Adichie shows
that ignoring the effects of that man-made construct
results in ignoring how it still affects people
o America will have its citizens and the world believe that
the election of the first black president erased 400 years
of slavery and its legacy
Forms of Racism
Explicit Prejudice
But Americanah documents all sorts of racism, beyond that discussed
in the blog, from the perspective of one (fictional) character’s lived
experiences
Obinze being mocked for scraping his knee because he’s a
“knee-grow”
People assuming the white Curt couldn’t be dating Ifemelu
because she is black
Patients refusing to have Aunty Uju as their doctor.
Accusations of “playing the race card”
Being asked to provide “the black perspective” in class
Claims that “racism is over”
Comments about black people not needing sunscreen
The realization that white guys in college weren’t attracted to
her sexually as she was black
Beauty Standards
This is most evident when zoning in on Eurocentric-beauty standards
where whiteness is the pinacle of perfection.
Black women are pressured to succumb to American standards
of beauty and professionalism by relaxing their hair or
somehow making it look more like white women’s hair.
o This becomes apparent to Ifemelu when Aunty Uju tells
her “If you have braids, they will think you are
unprofessional”.
In Americanah, hair is a clear demonstration of how American
society makes no place for black independence, devoid of
whiteness and assimilation into white society is celebrated
o When Ifemelu gets her hair relaxed, her hairdressor
triumphantly announced “You’ve got the white-girl
swing!”
o Although Ifemelu’s hairdresser is content with Ifemelu’s
new hair, she leaves the salon mournfully, with the potent
smell of burning ingrained in her mind. The smell of
something organic dying made her feel a sense of loss.
, Homogenisation of All Black People
In the United States, the term ‘black’ encompasses all of those with
darker skin, irrespective of origin or nationality. It is an inherently
racist term that categorizes people based solely on their position on
the light-to-dark scale
In one of her spirited blog posts, she states “Dear Non-
American Black, when you make the choice to come to America,
you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or
I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care”
o Adichie critically reflects on universalized, hegemonic
African-American cartographies of blackness
o Ifemelu, and many other immigrants, are told that they
are black; even though this label has new significance to
her initially, she is forced to see it as significant as it
informs how she is treated
This arbitrary label and categorization is shown to be shallow
through Adichie’s descriptions of the wealth of difference and
diversity within the community of those who are ‘black’
o African Americans and Africans in America
o Different nationalities
Aunty Uju gives Ifemelu her friend’s driver’s license and social
security card, as Ifemelu now has to pretend to be “Ngozi
Okonkwo” to find legitimate work.
o Ifemelu is worried because she doesn’t look like the
woman at all, but Aunty Uju assures her that “all of us
look alike to white people.”
Colourblindness
Adichie’s Americanah is a pertinent reminder that while racism
may be forbidden according to legislative books, it is still
written into institutional structures as well as outdated,
sheltered private opinion
o People choose to pretend that race does not exist. While
it is an artifical and man-made construct, Adichie shows
that ignoring the effects of that man-made construct
results in ignoring how it still affects people
o America will have its citizens and the world believe that
the election of the first black president erased 400 years
of slavery and its legacy
