Abstract
In the wake of World War II many urbanites left cities for a suburban life that has been persistently derided for its apparent social, material, and class homogeneity. This paper examines the African American experience of post–World War II suburbanization and the attractions of suburban life for African America. The paper examines two suburban projects in Indianapolis, Indiana, one a “sweat equity” housing community and the other a subdivision, both of which placed consumption at the heart of postwar citizenship. Rather than frame such consumption simply in terms of resistance to anti-Black racism, the two suburban experiences illuminate the African American imagination of visual and material “sameness” and demonstrate the challenges of archaeological studies of ethnicity and stylistic distinction.
Extracto
Tras la II Guerra Mundial, muchos urbanitas dejaron las ciudades por una vida suburbana que ha sido persistentemente ridiculizada por su aparente homogeneidad social, material y de clase. El presente documento examina la experiencia afroamericana de la suburbanización posterior a la II Guerra Mundial y los atractivos de la vida suburbana para los afroamericanos. El documento examina dos proyectos suburbanos en Indianápolis (Indiana), uno, una comunidad de viviendas de “equidad del sudor” y el otro, una subdivisión, en los que ambos situaron el consumo en el centro de la ciudadanía de posguerra. En lugar de enmarcar dicho consumo simplemente en términos de resistencia al racismo antinegro, las dos experiencias suburbanas iluminan la imaginación afroamericana de la “semejanza” visual y material y demuestran los retos de los estudios arqueológicos de etnicidad y la distinción estilística.
Résumé
Au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, de nombreux citadins ont quitté les villes pour une vie en banlieue, qui a été systématiquement tournée en dérision pour son apparente homogénéité sociale, matérielle et de classe. Cet article examine l’expérience afro-américaine de la banlieusardisation de l’après Seconde Guerre mondiale et les attractions de la vie en banlieue pour l’Amérique africaine. L’article examine deux projets de banlieue à Indianapolis (Indiana), l’un une communauté de logement avec un apport en compétences et l’autre une subdivision, qui ont placé la consommation au cœur de la citoyenneté de l’après-guerre. Plutôt qu’un cadre comme la consommation simplement en termes de résistance au racisme contre les Noirs, ces deux expériences de banlieue illuminent l’imaginaire afro-américaine de « similitude » visuelle et matérielle et démontrent les difficultés des études archéologiques de l’ethnicité et de la distinction stylistique.
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Acknowledgments:
Thanks to residents who have discussed African American suburban histories with me, including A’Lelia Bundles, Rickie Clark, Theodosia Duncan, the late Charles Edward Harry IV, Elmon Myers, Terry W. Reid, Douglas E. Taylor, Karla Taylor Temple, Leland Thomas, Leah Thomas, and Doris Wills. A variety of folks, including Lewis Jones, Liz Kryder-Reid, Modupe Labode, Thomas Ridley, and Glenn White, have discussed some of these ideas with me. Thanks to Bill White for inviting me to join this issue. None of those people bears any responsibility for the paper.
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Mullins, P.R. Imagining Conformity: Consumption and Homogeneity in the Postwar African American Suburbs. Hist Arch 51, 88–99 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-017-0009-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-017-0009-3