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An Analysis Of Locke's Criticism Of The New Negro Movement

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An Analysis Of Locke's Criticism Of The New Negro Movement
LOCKE: A SEPARATIST OR AN INTEGRATIONALIST?
Stark criticism has been directed to Locke’s philosophy within the black intellectuals community. According to Akam, some scholars such as Harold Cruse, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Nathan Huggins have dismissed the renaissance and the Negro Movement with much contempt (256). Cruse argues that there is a real consciousness, the nationalist, and a false consciousness, the integrationist and blacks either develop autonomously or disappear within the integration process. (255-256). Huggins accuses the New Negro movement of being a too optimistic, elitist, integrationist ploy that only confirms the progressive, individualistic and self-reliance of the American morals. (256). Gates asserts that Locke’s efforts in transforming racial attitudes through arts and aesthetics only contributed to transforming the New Negro Movement into an apolitical movement of the arts (256).
It is understandable that Locke can be read this way. He has argued that the “Negro’s” outer life objectives are nothing more than the ideals of the American institutions and democracy (“New” 966). He also does sound apologetic for the fact the “thinking Negro” has shifted to the left politically, and claimed that the New Negro is a “social protestant”, radical in terms of race but conservative in others …show more content…
This aproximates Locke to the Pan-Africanit ideas and distances him from other integrationalists that defend stressing the African heritage is to stress different instead of similarities. His ideas also serve as a prelude for the Black Arts movement and the call for an independent art
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