The Nation of Islam’s Cautious Return to Americanity in the 2010s

Book excerpt: This volume anticipates the deradicalization of the Nation of Islam’s erstwhile extremist discourse, depicting the return of a sort of ‘prodigal son’ to the common American national identity, after over three generations spent in denial of the mother country. In addition to investigating this shift in identification observed among the disciples of the sect during the past decade, the volume offers a reflection on how ethnicity is much more resilient than ethnic identity itself. From a social psychological perspective, it speculates that, unlike ethnic identity, ethnicity allows people to change identity at will in order to circumvent the identities imposed on them or assigned to them by birth. It also illustratively demonstrates the feasibility of thorough academic research in cultural studies.