Black Identity Viewed from a Barber's Chair: Nigrescence and Eudaimonia

William Cross' book "Black Identity Viewed from a Barbers Chair" challenges the portrayal of Black people in college textbooks as self-hating and pathological. He revisits his model of Black identity awakening, connects W. E. B. DuBois' concept of double consciousness to an analysis of how Black identity is performed in everyday life, and traces the origins of the deficit perspective on Black culture to scholarship dating back to the 1930s. The book ends with a new understanding of the psychology of slavery that helps explain why and how former slaves exhibited amazing psychological, political, and cultural independence after emancipation. Cross' book aims to disrupt and agitate and capture the humanity of Black people that has been overlooked in previous research.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 25 June 2021
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.

Throughout his esteemed career, William Cross has grappled with the paradoxical perception of Black men he encountered in the barber shop, appearing "so normal" yet contrasting sharply with the portrayal of Black people in college textbooks, particularly the Black working class. In his groundbreaking work, Black Identity Viewed from a Barbers Chair, Cross delves into his pioneering model of Black identity awakening, known as Nigrescence. He explores the connection between W. E. B. DuBois's concept of double consciousness and its manifestation in everyday Black identity performances. Furthermore, he traces the origins of the deficit perspective on Black culture back to scholarship dating from the 1930s. Cross then proceeds to offer a critical analysis, demonstrating that the prevalent tropes of deficit and Black self-hatred were based on exceedingly weak evidence.

Black Identity Viewed from a Barbers Chair concludes with a fresh perspective on the psychology of slavery, shedding light on why and how countless former slaves exhibited remarkable psychological, political, and cultural independence during the first twelve years of emancipation. Once free, their previously concealed psychology became public.

Cross's book aims to disrupt and agitate by seeking to more accurately capture the humanity of Black people that has been overlooked in previous research. Through his profound exploration, Cross offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of Black identity and challenges us to confront and dismantle the harmful stereotypes and narratives that have perpetuated inequality and discrimination.

ISBN-13: 9781439921067