Most research on American Blacks focuses on the social problems of the lower classes. This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from American University, who will study African American elites. The project will study the relation between African American women's use of `cultural politics`: ethnicity, cultural symbols, history and social interaction and their involvement in focused social action to counter racism and economic inequality. The student will conduct interviews with a sample of about 100 African American women divided into religious and secular leaders and non-leaders drawn from an elite population of women involved with national, state and municipal offices or organizations. The interviews will focus on life history and engagement with discrimination, the formation of a self image, and involvement with social action. This research is important because it will document the use of cultural politics to counter negative images and racism and to promote social change. The focus on religious as well as secular contexts will provide valuable information on how members of a minority elite use the social and cultural resources available to them to develop positive self-images and influence social policy. The results of this project should be of general interest, especially in light of the attention generated by the presidential commission on race.
