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You have a diasporic black world, and the only way to put it back together again is symbolic. It's like Humpty Dumpty. Whoever could edit the 'Encyclopedia Africana' would provide symbolic order to the fragments created over the past 500 years. That is a major contribution.
Henry Louis Gates
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote speaks to the importance of creating symbolic unity among fragmented cultural identities.

Henry Louis Gates reflects on the challenges faced by the diasporic black community, highlighting the need for a symbolic reconciliation of diverse cultural identities that have been fragmented over centuries. By referencing 'Humpty Dumpty,' he emphasizes that just as one could not physically reassemble the broken figure, the task of uniting and giving meaning to the African diaspora requires thoughtful interpretation and representation, which would significantly contribute to understanding and appreciating shared heritage.

Themes

DiasporaSymbolicBlack IdentityAfricaFragmentationUnity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about cultural heritage, one might say, 'As Gates pointed out, we must strive to create a symbolic order from our fragmented identities.'

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The only people who live in a post-black world are four people who live in a little white house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The idea that America is post-racial or post-black because a man I admire, Barack Obama, is president of the United States, is a joke. And I hope no one will even wonder about this crazy fiction again.
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