Wednesday, October 9, 2024

350 years of living in a biracial society

From Defending Dixie: Essays In Southern History And Culture by Clyde N. Wilson.

Southerners have, unlike other Americans, more than 350 years of living in a biracial society, in which Whites and African-Americans have reciprocally influenced each other's development. It should never be forgotten that the number of African-Americans outside the states of the South was statistically insignificant throughout American history up to World War I. In evidence of a distinct Southern culture, it should be pointed out that Southern blacks share with Southern Whites nearly every aspect of Southern culture except ethnic origin and political behavior, and differ from general American attitudes in the same direction as do White Southerners.

I am trying to come up with other nations or regions with that longevity of substantial engagement between races.  Ethnicities is easy, that is virtually the entire history of all the Middle East as a single example.  But races?

Actually, I guess all the New World qualifies in terms of Europeans and Native Americans.  Brazil in terms of White and Black.  But in the Old World?  I guess maybe the Mogul Empire might be inter-racial rather than inter-ethnic.  Maybe.  The Boer section of South Africa.  Sudan and some parts of coastal Kenya/Tanzania.  

Anyway, an interesting question hingeing largely on definitions but a neat challenge.

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