Blackness as a Universal Claim: Holocaust Heritage, Noncitizen Futures, and Black Power in Berlin

Damani J. Partridge explores the potential of a universalized Black politics, highlighting how young people in Germany of Turkish, Arab, and African descent use claims of Blackness to advocate for their rights and challenge institutional discrimination. He documents how they invoke expressions of Black Power, such as the medal-podium salute from the 1968 Olympics, and how they are asked to account for the global persistence of anti-Semitism in German state-sponsored education. Partridge's book demonstrates how the concept of Blackness empowers and inspires participation beyond national belonging for immigrants, refugees, Black people, and other People of Color.

Format: Hardback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

In this thought-provoking and daring book, Damani J. Partridge delves into the realm of universalized Black politics, exploring the potentialities and boundaries of such a movement. Young individuals in Germany, hailing from diverse backgrounds such as Turkish, Arab, and African descent, utilize the assertion of Blackness to hold states and other institutions accountable for their daily struggles. Partridge meticulously traces how these youth employ expressions of Black Power, replicating the iconic medal-podium salute from the 1968 Olympics, exclaiming "I am Malcolm X," engaging in mutual solidarity with figures like Muhammad Ali and Spike Lee, and standing with raised and clenched fists alongside Angela Davis. Furthermore, Partridge documents the demands made by public-school teachers, federal program leaders, and politicians that young immigrants assume responsibility for the global persistence of anti-Semitism as part of the German state's commitment to antigenocidal education. Through these captivating stories, Partridge interrogates the intricate relationships between European Enlightenment, Holocaust memory, and Black futures, unveiling how noncitizens actively strive to reshape their everyday lives. In this process, he showcases how the concept of Blackness serves as a catalyst, igniting inspiration and enabling participation beyond national belonging for immigrants, refugees, Black people, and other People of Color.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520382190